That's What Friends Are For
by Bigmac1989
Summary: After leaving the horrors of Maine behind, Carrie receives a new brother at Avengers Tower in the worst of circumstances. She vows to be the best sister she can be. At the same time, she is working to control her powers and become a worthy member of the Avengers, as well as seeking friendship in a new city. Join her on this journey. Inspired by CocoaFlower21's prompts.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! So, this fic is a partial response to CocoaFlower21's Avengers/Carrie crossover prompts. I've been intrigued by the universe he/she has been building, so I've decided to put my own spin on it. While all elements of prompts 18 and 31 will eventually receive page time in this story, there will be quite a bit of my own ideas, including some OC's. The idea of this story is that, while Carrie receives support and love from the Avengers and her fellow trainees at the Xavier Institute, she is aware that she only has those friends in part because of her powers. In addition, due to the nature of her upbringing she is still struggling to integrate herself into society outside of the team. I feel that she would want to have friends who like her for who she is outside of her budding superhero life, and I can only hope I do justice to Cocoa's ideas.**

**The T rating is for periodic swearing, as well as eventual Avengers-style action scenes. **

That's What Friends Are For

Chapter 1

Carrie Stark (née White), let out a loud yawn as she rolled over in her bed. Silently, she thanked God for another day with her new family. It had been just a tick over six months since Tony Stark, a.k.a Iron Man, had asked to adopt her and rescue her from her hellish life in Chamberlain, Maine. She now lived in Avengers Tower in Manhattan with Tony, his wife Pepper Potts, and her fellow Avengers.

After graduating from high school in Maine, it had been agreed that Carrie would undergo training to properly control her powers outside of battle. To do this, Carrie would attend the Xavier Institute in Salem, Westchester County, to study under Charles Xavier and train alongside the mutants who would, one day, become X-Men. This being a Saturday, she now had the weekend to herself, and she looked forward to spending it watching Tony at work in his lab. Or listen to Steve share his memories of the 1930's. Or discuss science with Bruce. Or anything, really.

The first moment she started to realise that this was not to be the case occurred when she could not hear any noise coming from the kitchen. Usually, Tony, Steve, or Bruce (usually a combination of all three) would be raucously antagonising each other over breakfast.

But what sealed the deal was when she walked into the kitchen and she saw Tony, Pepper and Steve sitting on the couch, each of them looking deathly serious. Carrie could've sworn she saw redness around Tony and Pepper's eyes – had they been crying?

"Sit down please, Carrie." Tony began, his voice devoid of its' usual joviality.

"Ooooohkay?" Carrie replied, nervously, as she took a seat on a chair.

"Now, Carrie, we have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?" Pepper enquired.

"The good news, please." Carrie replied.

"In that case, the good news is, you're getting a new brother!" Steve began, clearly trying to put a positive spin on a bad situation.

"Bad news is, he's an orphan." Tony finished, bluntly and with just a hint of an emotional hitch in his voice. "Parents died in a plane crash when he was a baby, his uncle got shot by a mugger and now his aunt has passed away. She had a stroke."

Carrie suddenly felt an emotional pit in the depths of her stomach. Sure, she had her difficulties during her life, but she never had to suffer the emotional agony of losing a parent. Her father died before she was born, and as for her mother…well, it would be pretty safe to say that she would not be shedding any tears for her when the tine came. She couldn't imagine what it must be like to lose effectively two sets of loving parents and guardians, nor did she want to.

"Actually, he's an intern at Stark Industries and an Avenger in training, just like you." Steve supplied.

"What's his name?" Carrie whispered.

Tony was about to answer when F.R.I.D.A.Y's robotic voice chimed in. "_Mr. Stark_?"

"Yes, F.R.I.D.A.Y?" Tony replied.

"_Mister Parker has arrived, sir_." Came the reply.

"Send him up." Tony commanded. He and Pepper than got up and walked to the doors of the elevator, presumably to welcome him.

When the doors opened, nothing could've prepared Carrie for what she was about to see.

Standing there was a young boy, who looked about two to three years younger than her. And he looked like hell. His brown hair was frizzy and unkempt, as though he hadn't gotten to sleep the night before. His eyes were bloodshot, no doubt from a period of crying and grieving. And when he opened his mouth to speak, the voice that came out was that of a much older man.

"Mister Stark, hello…" the boy murmured as he stepped slowly into the room.

"Steady on, Peter. I've got you." Tony assured, as he put a comforting hand on his shoulder and led him in.

_Peter._ Carrie mentally noted. _My new brother's name is Peter_.

"He usually calls him 'Underroos'." Steve whispered to Carrie, as if to underline the gravity of the situation.

Meanwhile, Tony was busy introducing Peter to everyone in the room.

"This is Pepper, my wife. Over there is the Capsicle, a living monument to 1940's advertising acumen. All the rest of the gang are either lamenting how it's not easy being green, at a Viking cosplay party, plotting international espionage, or trying to win the Hunger Games." Tony paused for a moment, as some of the Tony Stark that everyone knew and loved seemed to return. "And this right here is Carrie. She's my daughter, and an Avenger in training. Like you."

Peter surveyed everyone in the room. "Hi…" he murmured, before walking in the direction of the spare bedroom and slamming the door. After this, there was a period of silence that seemed as though it lasted an eternity. Eventually, Carrie broke the silence.

"That poor boy…" she spoke shakily, as tears began to pool in her eyes. She could easily visualise the grief and emotion that Peter was feeling, and it broke her heart. As Pepper put a comforting arm around her shoulder, Carrie made a vow that she would pray for the soul of Peter's aunt when she attended Mass the next day.

"That reminds me." Tony continued, as if he could read Carrie's mind. "You're not going to Mass tomorrow. At least, not at SMOTA."

SMOTA, or St. Mary Of The Angels Catholic Church in Manhattan, was the new church Carrie chose to call her spiritual home when she arrived in New York City. Whilst all the Avengers, especially Tony and Steve, respected her strong religious beliefs, there was significant concern about Carrie attending Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, given its high visibility and proximity to what Tony called the "fire zone" – the most likely area for a Avengers-level threat to strike. So, Tony and Happy Hogan, in his capacity as Tony's driver/head of security, began evaluating the churches in the area, eventually settling on SMOTA, a more modestly sized building in a less central location, and therefore less likely to be targeted directly.

Carrie loved it there, from the moment she had walked inside. One of the defining features of SMOTA was a large stained-glass window at the front of the church depicting Jesus, the Virgin Mary and St. Michael the Archangel standing together in the majesty of heaven. She felt a certain comfort and security in a spiritual sense, knowing that she was in a church that was protected by the leader of the heavenly army. She also felt being part of a church named for the angels was appropriate, as she viewed the Avengers as her own angels, sent from God to deliver her from her bullies and psychotic mother. And one day, God willing, someone would look to her to be their own angel.

The congregation there had been incredibly welcoming, and over time she had developed a tenuous acquaintance with two girls her age, Brianna Lawrence and Olivia De Rossi. However, the nature of her ongoing training, as well as Tony's strong desire to get Carrie back to the tower ASAP, had meant that she had only spoken to them for a short period of time. Due to this, she was fairly certain that none of them had gotten to know each other that well. She certainly hadn't told them the full story of how she got from Maine to New York – she still had difficulty in developing new friendships and trusting people.

"Carrie! Didn't you hear what I said?" Tony interrupted, snapping Carrie out of her reverie.

"Huh?" Carrie murmured.

"He said that you won't be going to Mass at SMOTA tomorrow." Steve supplied. "You'll be going to a different church."

"Can I ask why?" Came the response. At this, Tony took a deep breath and sighed.

"Look, Carrie." He began. "Peter is…well, he's a Queens guy. His whole family grew up there, he still goes to school there, and I believe that he would want his aunt's life to be celebrated there. So, Happy and I tracked down the church that's nearest to his old place in Queens – a place called St. John's. You, as the devout worshipper and spiritual person you are, and Happy as my head of security, will go together and assess whether this place is a appropriate and secure location for a funeral."

"Okay." Carrie whispered, her mouth growing dry as she took on the gravity of the task in front of her. Her adoptive father – no, _Dad_ – had given her a very serious job: to determine whether a church was the appropriate place to honour the life and soul of one of God's children. She would approach this task with all the determination she had.

"Ah, speak of the devil, and he shall appear!" Tony proclaimed as Happy Hogan, the burly man who served as chauffeur for the Stark family, exited the elevator. Carrie flinched involuntarily at those words. _I really need to get used to that expression_, she thought. "I was just filling Carrie in on the details of the little reconnaissance mission you two will be doing tomorrow."

"But Tony, I haven't been to church for 30 years!" Protested Happy.

"It's simple." Tony retorted. 'Just imagine how the public reacts to me."

"With bemusement and exasperation?" Was Happy's response.

"I was thinking more awe and wonder, actually." Tony quipped, the old Tony Stark returning in force. "Now, imagine that instead of gazing upon a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, they're adoring a wizard carpenter from the Middle East. Do that, and you'll be fine."

Carrie rolled her eyes whilst barely managing to stifle a giggle. Only Tony Stark could compare himself to Jesus Christ and sound adorable in Carrie's eyes.

"I'll show you what to do, Happy." Carrie reassured the bemused driver.

The following morning, Carrie got up and got dressed. She put on a simple blue dress, applied a small amount of make-up and lipstick, then styled her hair into curls. She then put on the two most important items of them all: her cross necklace, the symbol of her faith, and a small silver bracelet with a ruby gemstone in the centre – or at least, that's what it appeared to be. In reality, this was an energy inhibitor, developed in consultation with Tony and Professor Xavier, that would block her powers when worn. The aim of Carrie's ongoing training at the Xavier Institute was to control and regulate the use of her power to the point where she could use and control it without causing unnecessary collateral damage in battle, at which point she would no longer need the inhibitor. She had always worn the inhibitor whenever she had attended public events – and being an adopted daughter of an Avenger, there were many.

As she stepped out of the bathroom, she saw Happy standing there, in the same bespoke suit that he wore for seemingly every occasion.

"You look beautiful, Carrie." Happy complimented.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Happy." Carrie smiled.

"And now my daughter is flirting with my driver." Groaned the unmistakable voice of Tony as he came out of his and Pepper's room. "The weekend from hell is complete. Leaving so soon?"

"Yeah, we've gotta beat the traffic." Happy nodded.

"How is Peter?" Carrie asked, genuine concern in her voice.

Tony seemed to sense that, and spoke seriously to Carrie. "He's still sleeping. F.R.I.D.A.Y. took a reading of his body as he came in, and recommended that we give him space for a bit."

"He'll come talk to us when he's ready, sweetheart." Pepper finished.

Carrie nodded as she and Happy left the tower. The two of them drove for about 40 minutes, eventually stopping outside St. John's Catholic Church. It was made out of red brick, with a tall spire protruding from the front of the church, where Carrie estimated the altar to be. She and Happy got out of the car and walked towards the building. Carrie could see a queue forming in front of a metal detector. As it got to Carrie's turn, the metal detector beeped as she walked through.

"Please place your bracelet and necklace in this box, ma'am." The balding security guard requested, professionally but not unkindly.

"It's okay, Carrie." Happy reassured. Carrie nodded as she complied with the guard's instructions. Although she acknowledged that stringent security measures were a necessary feature of the age in which they lived, there was still a small part of her that was nervous whenever she had to remove her inhibitor in public. After she had placed both items in the box, she passed through the detector and was cleared. The security guard then reached over to the box and presented it to Carrie, allowing her to reclaim both her necklace and inhibitor.

"Have a blessed day, ma'am." The security guard spoke in a much more reassuring tone than before.

"Thank you." Carrie offered a smile and nod as she entered the main body of the church. Behind her, she could see Happy place his watch in the box. At the door of the church, Carrie placed her hand in a dish of holy water that stood on the wall and made the Sign Of The Cross, a tradition that she and all Catholics carried out before they entered the church for Mass. When she found an empty pew, she genuflected and sat down. She cast her eyes around the inner sanctuary of the church and took in the sights.

On the side of the church walls were the stations of the cross – wooden panels that depicted Jesus' path to his crucifixion and death. These were standard in every church Carrie had ever been in, including SMOTA. However, what really took Carrie's attention were five stained-glass windows in the front of the church. Based on her reading of the Bible, Carrie quickly surmised that these were important events in the life of the Apostle John. The first depicted John, along with the apostles James and Peter, witnessing the resurrection of a Roman centurion's daughter at the hands of Jesus.

The second window showed the Transfiguration, an event where the same three apostles from the first window saw Jesus enveloped by a bright light, along with the other two great teachers of that age, Moses and Elijah. This event was considered by some theologians to be the greatest miracle of Christ's ministry, as it combined the human body of Jesus with the divine glory of God, underscoring the deeply held belief of many Christians that Jesus Christ was the son of God.

The third window showed Jesus with his head bowed in the Garden Of Gethsemane, as John and Peter looked on. In this window, Jesus was conceding that his eventual arrest and crucifixion would be the will of God and committing himself into His hands.

The fourth window depicted the crucifixion of Jesus, with John and the Virgin Mary standing at the foot of the cross. This was the moment when Jesus commanded Mary and John to treat each other as mother and son.

The fifth and final window depicted John sitting on a beach of some sort. In his hand was a scroll, and was gazing up at Jesus. This was the moment when John was commissioned by Jesus to write the book of Revelations.

Carrie was so engrossed in the beauty of these windows that she didn't notice Happy sit down in the pew next to her.

"Security seems alright." He said to Carrie. "Now we just wait and see what this church is all about."

They did not have to wait too long as the notes of the opening hymn "To Be A Pilgrim" sounded out from the organ. As the opening procession walked down the middle of the church, Carrie did a double take. The priest – a "Father Stanley" according to the church news bulletin held in her hand, bore more than a passing resemblance to an elderly celebrity who had died recently. Quickly, Carrie shook those thoughts out of her head and returned to the hymn, lifting her voice high to the heavens as she sang out to her God. Happy followed along with the words on an electronic screen in front of them, more out of a desire to fit in than any genuine religious conviction. Not that Carrie would fault him for that.

If there was one good thing Margaret White had ever done for Carrie, it was to pass down a love of hymns and sacred music. Whilst she had dramatically expanded her taste of music since leaving Chamberlin, including listening to AC/DC's "Back In Black" album in its entirety, there was a small part of her that always returned to these hymns which gave her comfort. Now that she had access to the Internet, Carrie was able to do some research on the history of some of those hymns and what she had found was interesting, to say the least. Carrie had learned that this particular hymn, "To Be A Pilgrim" had appeared in several movies and TV shows. Most famously, it was associated with a certain season of _Doctor Who_, which Tony had insisted she binge-watch as part of her assimilation into her new world. The second interesting thing she had learned came courtesy of Steve, who had revealed that he and his unit, the Howling Commandoes, had sung it to keep their spirits up during the Second World War.

The repetition of the "pilgrim" motif had a certain appeal to Carrie. A pilgrim was always on a journey, trying to do what is right. Carrie had undergone a significant maturation in her religious views after she had been welcomed into the Avengers family. Whereas once before she had held a simplistic, black-and-white view of the world, she now believed that anybody who strove to do what is right was guided by God in their heart, even if they didn't recite all the prayers perfectly – or at all, for that matter. And what more good could anybody do than the Avengers, protecting the world from all sorts of evil? Carrie knew that one day, she would become a fully-fledged Avenger, and when that day came, she vowed the innocent, the downtrodden and the marginalised would have a champion.

Yes, Carrie had concluded, this was an appropriate hymn for a superhero.

After the hymn had finished, Father Stanley launched into the main body of the service. They went through three readings, including a gospel reading. Father Stanley had a gregarious air about his person, and nowhere was this more evident than in the homily, where he raised his voice higher and higher as he tried to link the story of Jesus, Martha and Mary to an argument he had to mediate at a family function over what to watch – a David Attenborough documentary or a hockey game. Despite the fact he was able to elicit laughs from all present as he mimicked the increasingly angry yells of his family members, Father Stanley turned deathly serious as he relayed his opinion on the whole matter, and thus the whole point of the sermon:

"I said to them: 'You'll have the rest of your lives to sit there and watch hockey. When will you ever get an opportunity to see the plains of Africa in all their glory?' Eventually, they chose the documentary. It's the same thing with this weeks Gospel. Martha is standing there, demanding that Mary cone and help her out with the humdrum everyday activity of doing the dishes, rather than having the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to listen to the Word of our Lord. Jesus responds by saying that Mary has chosen what is best for her. Now to all the younger attendees, this is NOT an invitation to disobey your parents. (A knowing chuckle went up at this.) Rather, this is an opportunity to live your life as Jesus teaches. Instead of the mundane, choose the magical. Instead of taking the teacups at Disneyland, go on the roller coaster! Instead of walking around the same city streets every single day, go for a hike and experience the full beauty of God's creation! Instead of the same tired holiday spots, go somewhere you've never been before! Now why do I ask you to choose the magical? Because of the great destiny God has planned for each and every one of you – there is no other word for that than "magical".

The Mass then plowed on full steam ahead, as they progressed on towards communion. Neither Carrie nor Happy had any complaints so far, although poor Happy was getting rather frazzled with the constant changing of their body positions between sitting, standing and kneeling.

"It'll be over soon, Happy." Carrie whispered as she patted his shoulder comfortingly.

When it came time for the Sign Of Peace, wherein everyone in the church shook hands with those nearest to them in the name of peace, Carrie found herself face to face with two girls in the pew in front of her. They looked about the same age as her. One of them was wearing a white shirt with a smart, but modest black skirt. Her blonde hair was in a ponytail. The second girl looked to be Hispanic, with her black hair, like Carrie's, in curls. She was wearing a bright pink dress.

"May the peace of Christ be with you." The first girl smiled as she offered Carrie her hand.

Carrie gratefully took the hand and returned the gesture. The second girl repeated the words and actions of the first, and Carrie also responded in kind as the greetings continued around her. Even Happy was getting involved, though his greetings seemed to be more along the lines of "Good talk, everybody!"

When it came time for communion, Happy looked over at Carrie. "I don't know what to do!" He whispered frantically.

"Just put your hands like this," Carrie replied, placing her hands across her chest in the shape of an X, "and the priest will bless you."

Happy complied with Carrie's instructions and received a blessing from Father Stanley, whilst Carrie held out her hands in front of her in a cupped shape to receive the actual communion wafer. Upon observing that the majority of those receiving blessings were young children, Happy grumbled: "I feel like the biggest little kid in the world."

"There, there." Carrie smiled indulgently as she squeezed his hand. "When this is done, I'm buying you a lollipop." It appeared some of Tony's sense of humour was rubbing off on her.

After one final prayer and a couple of more hymns, the Mass was concluded. Happy and Carrie sat there, silent as they tried to absorb what went on.

"So, now you've seen what I do every Sunday." Carrie spoke, breaking the awkward silence between them.

"Yeah, it was…something." Happy agreed. "I'm not even going to try and pretend I understood about 85% of what went on, but having seen you in church for the first time, I can understand why you're the way you are…why you're such a beautiful soul."

"Aw, thanks Happy!" Carrie smiled, and it was evident in her tone of voice that she was moved by his compliment.

'Now, I am going to exit this awkward moment and talk to the priest about funeral arrangements." Happy spoke as he got up.

"Okay. I'll just stay here and pray for a bit." Carrie replied. As Happy got up and went to the back of the church, Carrie folded her hands in front of herself, bowed her head and began to pray silently:

_Dear God, I come before you today to thank you for another day of living in your marvellous creation. Thank you for sending Tony, Steve, Bruce and all the rest of my superhero family into my life. Thank you for Scott, Kitty, Jubilee and my fellow power trainees at the Xavier Institute, who will one day fight to protect the innocent. Thank you for giving me Peter, the brother that I never had. I am sad that you chose to take Peter's family away from him, but as Your Son said in Gethsemane, it is Your will, not mine. I pray that his Aunt May, his Uncle Ben and all the rest of his family are no longer enduring suffering or pain, but instead resting safe in the arms of Jesus. Please give Peter your Holy Spirit, show him your peace during these difficult times. Help me be the best sister I can be to him, to support him and to show him your love. Thank you for the gift of this special power – help me to use it wisely. Give me the strength to serve you at all times. Help me find people who will walk with me in life, not just as a potential superhero, but as your child, made in your image. Amen._

"Are you okay?" A voice jolted Carrie out of her prayerful state. Looking up, she saw the two girls she had shaken hands with earlier. They were looking at Carrie with concern and empathy in their eyes.

"Are you okay?" The blonde repeated. "You've been crying."

Carrie then swiped at her eyes. Sure enough, she felt tears under her eyelids. Almost certainly a product of what she had found out over the last 24 hours.

"Cat!" The blonde hissed to her Hispanic counterpart. "Get her a tissue!" The Hispanic girl – _Cat_, Carrie mentally corrected herself – began rummaging through a purse she was carrying. Eventually, she pulled out a handkerchief and passed it over to Carrie.

"Thank you." Carrie whispered as she wiped her eyes. She tensed up as she felt a strange hand on her shoulders, remembering the terrors of Maine. Eventually, she relaxed as the hands began to close around her and envelop her in a hug.

"You're new here." Cat spoke for the first time, as her blonde friend continued _to _rub Carrie's shoulders with her thumbs.

"How'd you know?" Carrie replied weakly.

"Well, Lex and I make it our business to know everyone of our age that goes here, and 't seen you around here before." Cat stated plainly.

"It's _Alexis_." Grumbled the blonde girl from beside Carrie.

"Well, la-di-da, Miss Fancy Pants." Cat sassed, in a manner reminiscent of much of the banter Carrie heard thrown around between some of her Avengers family. Strangely enough, this gave her a great deal of comfort in being around these strangers.

"So, what brings you here?" Alexis asked as she helped Carrie to her feet. "Are you applying for the Academy?"

"What academy?" Carrie replied, confused.

"St. John's Academy." Cat supplied. "It's the Catholic high school that goes with this church, just up the road."

"We both go there." Alexis confirmed. Then she frowned. "You know what? We're so stupid! We forgot to introduce ourselves! I'm Alexis Schumann." She then offered her hand to Carrie, who shook it.

"Catalina Alvarez. But, as you've probably figured out by now, I just prefer Cat." It was her turn to offer her hand to Carrie, who took it.

'Carrie. Just Carrie." Carrie offered as she shook Cat's hand.

"Well, just Carrie," Alexis began. "You look like you have a lot on your mind. You want to talk about it?"

"I don't want to bother you…" Carrie replied.

"Nonsense!" Cat declared, looping her right arm into Carrie's left. "You can come and have lunch with us! There's a Subway just up the road from here. Come on, let's go ask your parents."

"I don't have any parents here, I have a driver." Carrie murmured as the trio walked towards the back of the church, where Happy could be heard deep in conversation with Father Stanley.

"…and I know Kung-fu, so if any Shaolin monks try to disrupt the service, I'll be ready!" Father Stanley finished. Happy nodded and turned around to see Carrie, Cat and Alexis approaching.

"Carrie! There you are!" Happy exclaimed. He then paused for a moment as he saw the remains of the tear marks on Carrie's face. Seeing her with two other girls and knowing her history, he immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion.

"What did you two say to her?!" He demanded, looking at Alexis and Cat angrily.

"Happy, don't! It's okay! I'm fine! They were helping me! Really!" Carrie pleaded, not wanting to see Happy get angry on her account.

"She's right, Mr. Hogan." Father Stanley chimed in. "I've known Alexis and Catalina since they were born, and let me assure you, they wouldn't hurt a butterfly, much less a fellow child of God."

"Yeah, Carrie's safe with us." Alexis confirmed. "I don't know the full story, and I'm not even sure I want to, but I get the impression that she's been through a lot. And let me assure you, both Cat and I would rather die than willingly hurt a human being." She finished passionately, as Cat nodded in assent beside her.

Happy looked into the eyes of the two girls and saw that they were telling the truth. He mentally deflated as it dawned on him that he must've looked terrifying to Carrie, being on the verge of snapping in anger inside a place that she considered more sacred than any other.

"I'm sorry I misjudged you two." He muttered in the direction of Alexis and Cat.

"It's okay." Cat replied. "I probably would have done the same thing if I saw my little sister had been crying around strangers."

"They offered to take me to lunch, Happy. Can I go, please?" Carrie begged.

Happy looked thoughtful. On the one hand, it was his job as the Stark family bodyguard to ensure the safety of all involved with the family, and that brief did not involve letting family members like Carrie go running off with complete strangers. On the other hand, he knew that the only people that Carrie knew in her new life so far were people that she would one day fight alongside to protect the world. That, coupled with the absence of any true childhood to speak of, must have been placing stress on those young shoulders He then made the conclusion: _Maybe it will be good for Carrie to have some friends outside the team, to keep her relaxed and happy._

"Okay, you can go." Happy replied, "But I'm following you three in the car, to try and keep you safe."

"Thanks Happy!" Carrie beamed. As she turned to leave, her expression turned solemn as she noticed a row of votive candles burning in a small rack near the church entrance. Above it was the inscription: **TO ALL THE SOULS DEPARTED, NOW RESTING IN THE ARMS OF CHRIST.** Remembering the reason she was at St. John's in the first place, she was overcome with a wave of sadness as she walked towards the rack and picked up four small, red candles out of a nearby box She used the provided matches to light each one and place them in the holders on the rack, one for each member of Peter's family lost. She then stood at a respectful distance, bowed her head and offered up a final silent prayer for the souls of Peter's family. Afterwards, she turned and walked towards the doors of the church where Happy, Alexis, Cat and Father Stanley (who evidently must wait around to see off the very last worshippers) were standing, waiting for her.

"Bye, Father Stanley!" chorused Alexis and Cat, as they and Carrie took their leave.

"Goodbye, girls!" Father Stanley responded. "And never forget our motto!"

"EXCELSIOR!" came the shouted response. Carrie, Cat and Alexis strode off down the street in unison. However, in the midst of all these swirling emotions in her head, Carrie couldn't help but feel she had forgotten something…

"HEY! WHERE THE HELL'S MY LOLLIPOP?"

Yep. She had.

As the three of them walked along the street, Alexis and Cat stopped to show Carrie their school, St. John's Catholic Academy. The school's coat-of-arms was displayed on a shield. A cross was displayed in the top part of the shield. Below it were a book and a sword. All these objects were white on a red background. Beneath the shield, the school's motto: _EXCELSIOR _was written in block capital letters.

"_Excelsior_? What's that mean?" Carrie asked, confused.

"It means "ever upward". Alexis replied.

"Basically it means that the goal of education at this school is to help us move ever upward, to become better Christians, better students and better people who will fight for what is right." Cat continued. "So, what's your story? Are you applying to go here?"

"No." Carrie replied. "I graduated high school in Maine and I'm going to college in Westchester." Technically, that was the truth.

"Maine!" Cat joked. "Watch out Lex – there could be an evil clown after her!"

Meanwhile, as Happy got into the car, he pressed a button on his car's dashboard. An image flashed on the screen – that of Carrie's inhibitor.

"Initiate Nanny cam protocol." Happy spoke into a microphone.

"_Nanny cam protocol has been initiated." _Came the sound of F.R.I.D.A.Y's computerised voice. "_Audio or video?_"

"Both." Happy replied. Instantly, video and audio courtesy of a hidden camera and microphone installed inside Carrie's inhibitor began to display itself on a computer screen in Happy's car. Installed within the inhibitor by Tony at the time of its' making and linked to F.R.I.D.A.Y., the "nanny cam protocol" enabled the initiator to monitor the location or record the conversations of anyone wearing the inhibitor. The aim of this was so that Happy or Tony or any of the Avengers could monitor their youngest member's interactions with people outside the trusted fold. They were concerned about Carrie's past encounters with strangers, especially those in her age group, and vowed not to let it happen again. Under this protocol, as soon as things started to go south, there would be a trusted hand nearby to bail her out. Carrie didn't know about this, but Happy reasoned to himself that Carrie would be understanding and forgiving if she did.

After all, as the saying goes, it's much easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Meanwhile, back at Avengers Tower, Tony, Pepper, Steve and Peter, who had ventured out into the tower for the first time since his Aunt's death, jumped as the AV feed showing the faces of Carrie, Alexis and Cat from the P.O.V of Carrie's inhibitor was projected into the room.

"Oh! We're live!" Tony called as he drew the attention of all involved to the feed.

"College? Well, look at you, Miss Moving On." Alexis laughed. "Do you see your parents often?"

"No." Carrie murmured. "Dad's dead, and Mama's in a mental institution."

"We're so sorry." Cat sighed sympathetically as she wrapped her arm around Carrie's shoulder. "That must be so difficult for you."

"Not particularly." Came Carrie's brusque retort. "I live with my college sponsor in Manhattan."

Alexis and Cat exchanged a look with each other. What sort of young person would not be bothered by the circumstances surrounding Carrie's parents? Something didn't add up.

Eventually, the trio arrived at the Subway restaurant. Walking inside, they began searching for available seats.

'You two go sit down over there." Alexis began, indicating a booth closest to the car park. "I'll pay for all three of us."

"No, no, I can pay for mys-" Carrie began.

"Too late!" Alexis was off, wallet in hand, striding into the ordering queue with all the authority of a military general. Cat and Carrie made their way over to the booth and sat down facing each other.

"So, Carrie." Cat began. "What's your best subject?"

"English." Carrie replied without hesitation, slowly starting to feel more comfortable around these two girls. "I…I write poetry."

"Poetry?" Cat asked, her interest piqued. "That's awesome! You should show us sometime!"

"Hey, Carrie!" Alexis called from the ordering queue. "What do you want on your sub?"

"Just some meat on the bread, nothing too fancy." Carrie called back, not wanting to leave Alexis more out of pocket than necessary.

Eventually, Alexis returned with the subs. Carrie's, as she had requested, was a rather basic ham sub with a little barbecue sauce on it. Alexis' was a vegetarian sub, loaded with lettuce and olives, whilst Cat's was a mixture of all sorts, with chicken, cheese and salami. All three then proceeded to cross themselves and bowed their heads in a silent prayer of thanksgiving for the meal which they were about to eat.

"Okay, what is this? Some sort of Jedi mind trick?" Tony piped in. While he respected Carrie's faith in God and her desire to do good deeds that stemmed from it, he still struggled to wrap his head around some of the more arcane rituals he had seen her practice.

"Tony!" Pepper whispered, indignantly.

Meanwhile, Bruce had joined Tony, Pepper, Steve and Peter in watching the live feed, having just completed a marathon spell in the lab.

Over the course of the meal that followed, Carrie had learned three main things about Alexis and Cat. The first thing was they were both going into their senior year at St. John's. Alexis was an expert at science and history, whilst Cat was a track athlete, trying to win the school their second state track championship in three years.

The second thing Carrie learnt, was that both of them were very funny. But it took a while for her to truly recognise it.

This started when they got onto the topic of where Carrie went to church. Carrie had told them she usually attended the less central SMOTA because her "sponsor" was concerned about going alone to the highly-visible St. Patrick's Cathedral in light of the Chitauri invasion and the subsequent damage done in Manhattan.

"True." Alexis conceded. "That whole Rockefeller area is just ripe for a monster attack. Could you imagine if Godzilla attacked the Cathedral during Mass?" Here, Alexis put on a solemn tone of voice: "_Jesus said to his disciples _– WAAAUUUGH!" The blonde began to laugh as she mimicked the sounds of a priest being snatched out of the cathedral by the legendary monster.

"Yeah!" Cat chimed in. "And Godzilla's mom would be like: "_Don't fill up on the archbishop! He's too fattening!_" whilst putting on a squeaky tone of voice Carrie could've sworn she had heard on that silly _Monty Python_ show Tony had shown her.

Meanwhile, Tony, Pepper and Bruce were trying to trying – and barely succeeding – in stifling their laughter. Peter was smiling – the first time he had done so since his aunt's death. Even the normally conservative and stoic Steve cracked the barest hint of a grin.

Carrie, however, was feeling a very different kind of emotion at that moment – bemusement with a hint of anger. Here were Alexis and Cat, who were being very welcoming to her, and who seemed like very pious and intelligent people. And here they were, not one hour later, cavalierly joking about a giant monster slaughtering the innocent! Had she misjudged them?

"How can you sit here and joke about something like that?" Carrie exclaimed.

Alexis and Cat turned their heads towards Carrie. Tension began to develop between the trio.

"Do we have a problem, Carrie?" Cat asked in a clipped tone.

_Oh no_. Carrie thought. _I've messed up now_.

"No, no, no baby, come on…" Tony groaned. The truth of the matter was, the entire room was invested in the outcome of what was unfolding on the projection. They knew that to be not just the best Avenger, but also the best human being she could be, Carrie had to have the best balance possible between work and social life. And for that, she needed friends to socialise with. The trouble was, Margaret White's religious fanaticism and psychological abuse had done a number on the poor girl's psyche. She was still getting used to phrases like "the devil's own job" and "hell of a night" – how did anyone think she was going to react to a joke about the deaths of people in a church? He just hoped that all involved could find a way to help her take the joke in the spirit in which it was intended.

"I was in a building that was attacked once…" Carrie whispered, looking down at her hands, thinking of her prom, the hijacked Stark robot that had attacked it, the fire in the gym and how she felt her chance to earn true love and respect from her peers had been ruined. 'It was terrifying…so I don't like it when people make jokes about innocent people dying!" She finished, glaring intensely at Alexis and Cat as tears began to leak from her eyes.

The two St. John's students turned to look at each other. "Oh, shit…" Alexis murmured, the full implications of Carrie's words beginning to dawn on her.

"Yeah, we fucked up." Cat responded. The two then turned and took Carrie's hands in their own, trying to reassure her.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Don't feel bad. It was our own stupid fault. We didn't know you were involved in something terrible like that." Cat reassured, giving Carrie a serviette to wipe her eyes.

"Yeah, you have to believe us." Alexis continued. "We don't want anything bad to happen to anybody, and we won't joke about that sort of thing again. We're truly sorry, Carrie."

Carrie felt a sense of relief as she blinked the last of the small group of tears away. This apology confirmed to Carrie that these were indeed good people who were considerate of others. Then it started to dawn on her: she had taken – and in some cases was still adjusting to – Tony's similarly wild sense of humour. And there was no one she trusted more in the world. Accounting for that, she mentally rewound and began to watch Alexis and Cat's joke from a different angle. This time, she looked in their eyes, and it was there that she saw the true content of their character – not full of hate and contempt like Chris Hargensen or Tina Blake, but full of unbridled joy and the embrace of life.

It was Carrie's turn to feel bad. Here she was, a girl they barely knew, forcing them to change what made them unique? _No, not today_.

"Alexis, Cat, I accept your apology, but please don't stop joking about things on my account. If making those kinds of jokes makes you happy, go ahead. You were kind and welcoming to me because you are happy people, so please don't change yourselves for me." Carrie pleaded desperately.

Alexis and Cat were now smiling wide at her. 'Ain't no thang, Carrie." Cat grinned.

"Come on, group hug!" Alexis urged, wrapping her left arm around Carrie and her right arm around Cat and drawing both girls into herself.

The watching crowd at Avengers Tower released a sigh of relief many did not even know they were holding. "Operation Friendship" was back on track.

"Good save! Good save!" Bruce applauded, clapping his hands like a desperate sports fan.

Peter, meanwhile, was deep in thought. His own sister had been in a potentially life-threatening situation. Given what had occurred in his life over the years in regards to family, the idea of his newly-found sibling being taken away from him stung him hard. He was going to ask her about that when she got back from this outing.

"There's just one question I have though." Carrie continued. 'Why can you joke so easily about priests? I thought you were taught to revere them."

"Well, Carrie," Alexis began, a twinkle developing in her eye. "Let two devout Catholics, raised in the church, tell you about what we revere."

And thus began the most farcical profession of faith in the history of Christendom, pioneered by Alexis with periodic interruptions from Cat.

"Okay, so the one thing we revere above all else is God. God, and Jesus Christ."

"That's two things."

"Really? Damnit. So, the TWO things we revere above all else are God, and Jesus Christ. And the Holy Spirit."

"That's three things."

"Really? Damnit! So, the THREE things we revere above all else are God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. And the Virgin Mary."

"That's four things."

"Really? Damnit! So, the FOUR things we revere above all else are God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Virgin Mary. And St. John as our patron."

"That's five things."

"Really? DAMNIT!" So, the FIVE things we revere above all else are God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary, and St. John as our patron. And all the saints as a collective entity."

"That's six things."

"Really? DAMNIT! So, the SIX things we revere above all else are God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary, St. John as our patron, and all the saints as a collective entity."

By this point, Carrie was doing all she could not to let the bubbles from the Coke she was drinking go up her nose with laughter. She had seen the infamous sketch they were referencing on YouTube, and it was something that she had expected out of someone who was broadly disrespectful, like the _Monty Python _crew or Tony. But to see two otherwise devout and pious people joke around regarding the exact number of sacred aspects of their faith, and comparing their joy and zest for life to the paranoia and zealotry put forward by her mother, and realised that even though she had become more outgoing and just a tad bit snarky whilst in Tony's care, she had yet to make a single joke about religion – not even of the cliched "priest and a rabbi" variety. She began to wonder if maybe she was taking her faith – or at least certain portions of it – just a tad too seriously

Meanwhile, the watching Avengers had failed to contain their mirth, openly laughing at the two girls' antics.

"Those two are a dime a dozen." Tony wheezed with laughter. "Catholics and Monty Python fans – who'd think it? Can we keep them?"

"The Other Guy will fight you for joint custody." Bruce chuckled.

"That's it." Alexis declared. "That's the end of the joke."

"Aw man!" Bruce grumbled as he got back into his seat.

"So, in all seriousness," Cat concluded, "There are six things that we personally hold sacred above all else: God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary, St. John the patron of our school, and the communion of saints, in that order. Anything outside of that, we consider to be fair game for religious satire."

'Like that fictional priest that got plucked from the cathedral earlier." Alexis explained. "God may be perfect, but the men that teach his words are absolutely not, and certainly not all of them are innocent."

"For example, did you know Father Stanley once got arrested and suspended from the priesthood for drunk and disorderly conduct when he stormed the ring at a little person's wrestling event and tried to attack the referee?" Cat asked.

"Now that's my type of priest!" Tony exclaimed.

"He may be a good man, but is that conduct you really want to revere?" Cat finished. "He'll tell you himself that it's not. He believes that he shouldn't be immune from being the butt of jokes or the target of criticism."

"I guess what we're trying to say is that it comes down to a duality of faith vs. religion." Alexis concluded. "Our _faith_ in Jesus Christ encourages us to work hard to follow his example, so good deeds and make his Kingdom come in this world, which in turn makes us better people – not better than anyone else, but still better than who we were yesterday. That is the very reason God put us on this earth. In contrast, we are encouraged to say prayers on the rosary to absolve our sins in the name of _religion_, but I think that if you want to make a silly joke about how cheating on a exam is worth five Hail Mary's or cursing out a referee at a Rangers game is worth 20, than I think you should be able to do that."

"Simply put, Carrie," Cat finished, "Make your _faith_ your innermost treasure, but remember to laugh about your _religion_ every once in a while too."

"Bruce." Steve began, firmly. "I am going to drive you to St. Patrick's Cathedral, get you baptised, and make you say the whole damn Rosary for "misplacing" my Dodgers gear on the Quinjet back from L.A. last month."

After another period of eating and chatting to each other, Carrie looked outside the window and saw Happy sitting there behind the wheel of his car, like The Grim from the Harry Potter series. Cat followed Carrie's line of sight and saw the car as well.

"Wave to the stalker, girls." Cat grinned. The three girls produced their widest, most beaming smiles and waved happily at Happy. Happy waved back, whilst mouthing something that looked suspiciously like "lollipop". Conversation then turned back to the topic of Carrie's presence at St. John's that morning.

"You said you don't normally go to Mass up here." Alexis wondered. "Why today?"

Carrie let out a deep sigh. Though her conversations with the two girls in front of her had been fun, the main reason for her being there came back into focus.

"There's been a death in my family." Carrie spoke bluntly.

Alexis and Cat's jovial attitude instantly disappeared.

As did the moods of the watching Avengers, as Bruce put a comforting hand on Peter's knee.

"Who died?" Cat asked with sympathy laden in her voice, as she and Alexis each took a hold of Carrie's hands in support.

"My aunt." Came Carrie's reply. "Well, she was not technically _my _aunt, but she was the last remaining family member of this boy that's living with me and my sponsor now, so I guess that makes her my aunt as well now – and him my brother. She had a stroke."

"Is that who you were lighting the candle for earlier?" inquired Alexis.

"Yes." Carrie spoke. 'Four of them, one each for his parents, his aunt and uncle, all of whom are dead now."

At these words, Alexis and Cat both crossed themselves as a sign of respect for the dead.

"What's your new brother's name?" Came the question from Cat.

"Peter." Carrie replied without hesitation. "And to answer your earlier question, I went there because my brother, who works as an intern for my sponsor, grew up in Queens and wanted to hold his aunt's funeral at your church."

Alexis then proceeded to give Carrie a hug. "Carrie, I promise that you and Peter are going to be in our prayers this week."

"Yeah.' Cat continued. "And don't worry about anything. Father Stanley may be a bit crazy, but he will do a wonderful job for your aunt and her memory."

As these scenes were going on, Peter was biting his lip, trying to keep his churning emotions at bay.

"I wish I knew what to do." Carrie sighed. "I've never had to be a big sister before, never mind having to be a comforter to an orphan."

"You will be an amazing sister, Carrie." Alexis reassured.

"How do you know?" Came Carrie's wavering reply.

"Well, let's see." Cat began. "We've only known you for two hours, and we can tell that you're kind, thoughtful and considerate to others. You could've walked away when we screwed up with that Godzilla joke earlier, but you displayed patience and understanding. Just put those virtues on display to Peter, and you'll be fine. You'll have bad moments, sometimes bad days, but just remember that siblings always find their way back to each other."

Carrie looked at Cat and smiled, her anxiety beginning to subside. "Thank you, Cat."

"Aw, Cat." Alexis cooed. "You always know the right things to say. And that's why I love you." The pair than shared a chaste, but loving kiss.

Which brought up the third main thing Carrie found out about the duo.

"Wait." Steve interjected. "So those two…"

"Are surfing the Sapphic sea? Yeah." came Tony's reply.

Carrie paused as she considered the look on the faces of the two girls in front of her. She had seen that look before. She had seen it when Tony and Pepper kissed. She had also seen it in the eyes of Sue Snell and Tommy Ross, her only friends from Maine who, thanks to circumstances, were now out of her life. And she had seen it in the eyes of Steve and Bruce when they were discussing their respective lost loves.

The conclusion was unavoidable. Alexis and Cat were in love.

Many things changed for Carrie when she was adopted by Tony. She had to adjust to several new realities. One of these new realities was the increasing number of relationships between either two men or two women. Carrie now looked at her life story as a tale of two different Carrie's – Pre-prom and post-prom. Pre-prom Carrie would have simply parroted her mother's twisted belief that homosexuality was a sin punishable by death. Post-prom Carrie, however, realised that a certain degree of recalibration was required.

In the midst of her mother's ravings, she had remembered a story from the book of Genesis about the men of Sodom who tried to have sex with a pair of angels, ultimately leading to God's infamous destruction of that city. This story was cited time and again as evidence of God's judgement against sexual immorality in general and homosexuality specifically. Seeking to reconcile this increased visibility of same sex relationships with her own beliefs, she consulted the one Avenger who was closest to her in terms of morality and outlook on life – Steve.

He explained to her his belief that this story was actually about rape, an act that was vile and disgusting no matter which area of the gender spectrum it was associated with. He told her a story of how he and the Howling Commandoes fought off a group of Nazi soldiers trying to rape a young woman in wartime France, and he described how the looks of evil lust in the eyes of those soldiers were identical to those attributed to the men of Sodom, explaining that immoral behaviour was not the exclusive province of those with a certain sexual orientation.

He then invited her to take a trip to Brooklyn with him to see some friends of his. Their names were Joe and Anthony, and they ran a community outreach centre in Brooklyn. The four of them shared food and drink, talked about their lives, and watched a football game. When the New York Giants won with a last minute touchdown, Joe and Anthony leapt into one another's arms and kissed each other passionately. It was there that Carrie had an epiphany. These men hadn't tried to harm her or drag Steve into some sort of secret sex dungeon (not that they would have succeeded). They were just two simple men who were devoted to their work, and to each other. Joe and Anthony, she had concluded, were good people.

This was Carrie's first interaction with members of the LGBTQ community – the catch-all term, she had learned, for the growing community of people that included gay men, lesbians, and a large number of variable, non-heteronormative (to quote a website she had read) sexual preferences.

Her second exposure to a same-sex relationship had come quite by accident. Carrie had just started at the Xavier Institute and was looking for a bathroom. As she was finishing up, she heard the door of the cubicle next to hers slam open and felt the distinctive impact of a human body on the side of the wall as two people engaged in what Carrie surmised was a heavy-make out session. The voices that cried out during this session were unmistakably female. Deciding that this was none of her business, Carrie calmly washed her hands and exited the bathroom.

Whilst she was waiting for a class to start at a nearby classroom, she saw the two girls involved in the cubicle tryst exit the bathroom. She immediately recognised them as two fellow trainees – Yukio, a Japanese girl who could control electricity, and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (shortened to "Negasonic" to avoid constant repetition of her full name in classes), a tomboy who could unleash colossal blasts of energy, rivalling an atomic warhead at full power. Carrie could remember Negasonic eyeing her cross necklace with a look of distrust – which wasn't surprising, given the history of discrimination carried out against same sex couples by people who claimed to be acting in the name of God.

The next day, Carrie was surprised to find that Yukio insisted on sitting with her at lunch. Her bubbly and excitable personality quickly put Carrie at ease in this new environment, and she was kind enough to show Carrie around to some of the classrooms she hadn't been to yet. She also introduced Carrie to two of her best friends at Xavier's – Kitty Pryde, who could phase through walls and other solid things, and Jubilee, who could attack opponents with fire from her hands. Negasonic warmed up to her as well, once it became clear she wouldn't try to slam her into a wall because of her relationship. Carrie's respect for Yukio and Negasonic only grew when she learned that they put themselves on the line to help liberate a group of mutant children from an abusive orphanage that doubled as a prison. Saving innocent children from having such horrible things done to them was one of the most noble things a person could do in Carrie's eyes, especially considering her childhood. Jubilee would later inform her that this was an unsanctioned mission, led not by Wolverine or Beast, two of the most senior mutants and instructors at Xavier's, but by a mysterious man in red.

Yukio and Negasonic, she had concluded, were good people. Even if every fourth word out of Negasonic's mouth seemed to be "fuck" or a variation thereof, and even if their throes of passion were at times a tad too loud for Carrie's liking while she was trying to study.

Which brought her back to Alexis and Cat. They had proven themselves to her over this little get-together that they were generous and kind-hearted people who were worthy of her trust. Even though she knew that any future interactions with members of the LGBTQ community were not guaranteed to be as universally positive as those she had experienced so far, she vowed not to judge people by their sexuality but, in the words of Martin Luther King Jr, on the content of their character.

"You-hoo! Carrie?"

Carrie quickly snapped out of her thought space as she saw the two girls staring at her.

"You've been quiet for five minutes." Cat stated.

"Oh!" came Carrie's embarrassed reply as she regained her equilibrium. She then looked towards her two companions, who were examining her with quizzical looks

"You're…you're gay." Carrie stated, perhaps a touch too awkwardly given the current situation.

"Come on, Carrie, say the right thing…" Steve whispered. The next words out of Carrie's mouth would go a long way towards deciding whether "Operation Friendship" would be a success or a failure.

"And?" Alexis asked, archly.

Summoning memories of chocolate biscuits and touchdown celebrations, of friends introduced and innocents saved, of welcoming smiles and hands shaken and shoulders rubbed in comfort, Carrie gave her answer, the only answer she could give, the answer she _wanted _to give.

"I'm happy for you." She smiled. "You two suit each other."

The bright beaming smiles that Cat and Alexis gave in return could have powered Avengers Tower for a year.

Speaking of Avengers Tower, all present released a huge sigh of relief. Tony pumped his clenched fist like a football coach whose offence just converted a fourth-down play to keep a game alive.

"I knew she'd do the right thing." Steve remarked as he gave a smile of satisfaction.

Inside the restaurant conversation turned to if Carrie knew any other people in New York.

"Well, apart from my college friends in Westchester, I know these two girls from SMOTA – Brianna Lawrence and Olivia De Rossi." Carrie responded.

"You're friends with Brianna and Olivia?" Alexis asked, surprised.

"I've talked to them a grand total of twice. I wouldn't say we're friends." Carrie responded. "Do they go to St. John's as well?"

"No, they go to Midtown High in Forrest Hills." Cat responded. "But they're in a youth group with us. It's called Eternal Pentecost."

Carrie then took a flyer that Cat gave her. It advertised a meeting every Wednesday night in the hall of a church in the Bronx, open to people aged between 15-21, with the group's mission statement being: "_To inspire the hearts of the Catholic youth of New York City, as the Holy Spirit did at Pentecost, to follow the teachings and example of Jesus in our lives, in our community, and in our city._"

"Maybe we could properly introduce you to Brianna and Olivia at a meeting sometime?" Alexis suggested.

"Oh no, I don't want you to bother yourselves." Carrie began.

"Well, I've got them both in my phone." Cat began. "Let's ask them now!"

'Don't, do-" Carrie began, as Cat pressed a button in her contacts. After ringing for a while, a voice spoke through the phone. "_Cat! Hi!"_

"Hey, Bri!" Cat sang to who Carrie could only assume was Brianna. "I've got Carrie from your neck of the woods here with me, so why don't you two say hi!" She then passed over her phone to Carrie.

"_Hi there, Carrie!_" came the sound of Brianna's voice over the phone.

"Hey, Brianna…" Carrie began, rather uncomfortably.

'_Where were you at Mass this morning? Livy and I missed you!_" was Brianna's reply.

Carrie paused for a moment. _Somebody actually missed my company_? She thought to herself.

"_Who's that? Is that Carrie?" _asked a second voice, this one with a hint of an Italian accent.

"_Yeah, I'm passing you over now." _ Brianna spoke. _"Get ready to say hi to Livy, Carrie!"_

"_Hey, Carrie! This is Olivia! Hi!_" Came the sound of Olivia's voice, her Italian accent becoming more pronounced due to her bubbly behaviour.

"Hi, Olivia!" Carrie beamed, scarcely willing to believe that there were actually interested in being her friend, Sure, Tommy and Sue had eventually become friends with her, but that was more due to Sue's guilt over her past actions in bullying her. Here there were people who actually wanted to get to know her for her.

Alexis then gently took the phone from Carrie, pressed a button and set it down on the table.

'Alright, this is Alexis speaking now." She declared, in a tone that would brook no dissent. "Carrie is up here because a personal situation forced her to go to St. John's, the exact nature of which I will NOT be divulging to you. If she wants to tell you, it's her business. Now, the reason Cat called was we wanted to see if you would want to get properly introduced to each other at a youth group meeting sometime."

"_Of course!_" Brianna exclaimed. "_Why wouldn't we?"_

"_Yeah." _Olivia continued. "_We would've asked her ourselves, but that driver she has is always giving her the hurry-up._"

"That is, if it's OK with Carrie." Alexis concluded. She and Cat turned and faced Carrie, waiting for the answer.

It was quick. "Sure!" She exclaimed, wanting to learn more about Brianna and Olivia.

"Well, it won't be this week because she's going through some stuff right now." Alexis concluded. "That's her business, but you might want to say a prayer for her tonight."

"_Will do_." Brianna replied.

"_Okay, bye Calexis! See you soon, Carrie! I'm praying everything's okay with you!" _Olivia finished. The line then went dead as the trio sat in silence for a bit. Then Carrie spoke up.

"Calexis?" She asked, amused.

"It's a stupid name for our relationship." Cat grumbled. "Olivia foisted it on us when she caught us making out during a _Game Of Thrones_ watch party, and it's stuck ever since. Because, you know, "khaleesi" and all…"

"I think it's a sweet name." Alexis countered.

"Says the person who has the majority of the moniker, while I get stuck with the stupid "C"." Cat countered.

"You can have "Ca"." teased Alexis.

"Still 5-2 your way, hardly fair." Was Cat's mock-downcast response.

"Then you'll just have to get some more kisses to make up for it!" Alexis laughed as she grabbed Cat's face and kissed her forehead five times, one for each imagined letter to make up in the "Calexis" deficit.

"All better?" Alexis asked when she was finished.

"I guess." Cat pouted.

"You two are so adorable." Carrie giggled, as she sipped on her drink.

Peter had learned a lot about his new sister-to-be in the time he had spent watching the live feed.

The first thing he had learned was that she had a strong sense of right and wrong. She showed that when she had challenged Cat and Alexis over what had seemed to be, on the face of it, a pretty harmless joke. Even though she eventually accepted the joke for what it was, she clearly could not abide the idea of innocent people dying in a church, or anywhere else for that matter.

The second thing that he had learnt was, even though she was very devout in her faith, she had in inquiring mind just like he did. The difference between them was whilst he was seeking answers to more literal questions, like square roots of state capitals, she was seeking answers to more existential questions, like the nature of faith and whether God was at work in the world. He wasn't 100% sure whether he believed in God to the same extent that Carrie did, but he did know that his Aunt May kept a crucifix above the fireplace. And he knew that he and his aunt went to church every Christmas and Easter – even if those were the only times they did. He thought that they would complement each other well as they started down this new road together.

The third thing he learned was that she was very considerate of others, putting their needs and thoughts ahead of her own. Even though he had started watching the feed after Carrie had left the church, he knew that Carrie had gone to Queens, out of her comfort zone, just to find a suitable place for his aunt's funeral. She also sought to reassure Alexis and Cat after they had apologised to her fo their bad joke, asking them not to change who they were and what made them such happy people for her.

He hadn't even spoken to her in person yet, and he already knew that she was going to be an amazing sister, no matter what would happen.

Meanwhile, Cat was checking her watch.

"We still have about 20 minutes until our parents start wondering where we are, so we've got something to ask you, Carrie." She announced.

"Go ahead." Carrie replied.

"You said you were in a building that got attacked." Alexis wondered. "How many people died?" She finished, in a tone that suggested she was dreading the answer.

"Some people were hurt, but none died." Carrie answered. "At least, thanks to the Avengers."

"YOU MET THE AVENGERS?!" Cat shrilled. "Okay. Tell us everything. Now."

"Well, to get the full context of this whole story, I need to go back to the beginning." Carrie said. She then proceeded to tell her story from the beginning, detailing the suffering she went through every day at the hands to Chris and her gang of bullies. Alexis and Cat were disgusted with what they heard about their behaviour, in particular during the infamous shower incident.

"Cretins." Alexis had sneered when she heard what had happened in the shower.

But it was her revelation about what had happened afterwards at her house that really drove the two St. John's students to righteous anger.

"You're saying that your mother never taught you about one of the most important things any young woman should know, and those bullies took advantage of that?" Alexis hissed, angrily.

"And she had the nerve to enshrine her ignorance by making you feel like a walking sin?" Cat finished, appalled.

"Yeah." Carrie whispered, in a small, sad voice.

Cat suddenly stood up out of her chair.

"Carrie, Lex, let's get out of here. I have a very strong opinion to express about this whole situation. I like this place, and I don't want to get banned from it for what I'm about to say." She declared.

The trio then got up, grabbed their things and left the restaurant, whilst Happy scrambled to start the car and followed them.

Carrie had seen and heard plenty of views about what had transpired in Chamberlin. She had seen Tony and Steve's open contempt for what the bullies and her mother had done, and she had heard the condemnation from Miss Desjardin, her gym teacher and greatest ally among the Ewen High faculty. Little did she know that a person she had met just that morning was about to deliver the strongest – and loudest – condemnation of her tormentors.

"THOSE ABSOLUTE C-"

"-ountry club waiters!" Tony butted in, trying – and failing – to protect Peter's young ears from the high-level profanity they had just heard come over the live feed courtesy of Cat.

"I..I didn't even think Catholics _knew _that word." Peter stammered, speaking for the first time since the feed started..

Carrie and Alexis were also shocked by Cat's outburst. So too were most people, as a few passers by gave the Latina dirty looks.

"Relax, I'm not talking about you." Cat murmured sheepishly, before resuming her rant.

'Well, I'm sorry if you were offended Carrie, but that's the only appropriate term I can think of for someone who would carry out such _despicable _actions against a vulnerable young girl, and in the case of your absolutely evil "mother", their own daughter!" She seethed.

"That's right!" Alexis agreed. "Nobody deserves to be treated like that, ever! Fuck your mother, fuck those she-demon bullies of yours, and fuck anybody else who doesn't see you for the wonderful, caring and unique person that you are!"

Carrie blinked her eyes rapidly. A year ago, if you had told her that she would not be bothered by such strong language, she would say that you would be out of your mind. But, once again drawing a contrast between her abusive mother and the two protective girls standing in front of her, she was surprisingly agreeable to the terms used. And so it was on that note that she opened her mouth to make an utterance that she once thought would never pass her lips.

"Yeah." She smiled shyly to herself. "Fuck them."

Tony and Bruce both let out mock gasps of horror at this statement.

As the trio continued walking, Carrie continued to regale the two St. John's pupils with the story of Tommy asked her to the prom, how it was attacked by a hijacked Stark Industries robot and how the Avengers arrived to save the day. She conveniently omitted the details of how she developed her telekinetic powers and how she fought off the threat alongside the Avengers - she would tell them when the time was right, on her own terms. She revealed she had suffered injuries during the attack, that Tommy Ross and Sue Snell had reconciled with her whilst in the hospital and revealed the foiled revenge plan, and described how her mother had tried to kill her when she returned home from the hospital. (Cat had screamed in alarm at that part.) It was at this point she decided to make the reveal of how she had gotten all the way from Chamberlin, Maine, to New York City.

"And then, just when I felt I had no-one left, a man came to see me. He said that he would pay for all of my education going forward, and that I could come live with him when I finished high school. That wonderful man was my college sponsor, and is also someone I'm proud to call my new dad."

"Well?" Alexis inquired. 'Who is it?"

Carrie then smiled broadly. "My name…my _new _name is Carrietta Stark, and I am the proud daughter of Iron Man."

Tony and Pepper smiled at each other as she said this, with Pepper wiping a stray tear from her eye.

Cat and Alexis, however, would need some convincing.

"Oh bullshit!" Cat exclaimed. "You're making that up!"

"I have to agree with her.' Alexis concurred. "No offence, Carrie, but we've known Tony Stark for years through the media, and even though he's less of a playboy and more of a philanthropist these days, we've never known him to take someone in out of the sheer goodness of his heart."

Carrie's jaw steeled in resolve. The duo's skepticism had suddenly forced her hand. Whilst she had initially planned on waiting until she had fully mastered her powers before revealing them to the world, Alexis and Cat's disbelieving stance was an attack on the new identity she was trying to build for herself in New York. Her determination hardening, she led the two St. John's to a deserted alleyway.

"You girls trusted me with your most precious secret." Carrie began. "Please let me trust you with mine." She then sat the empty drink cup down on a cardboard box, and removed her inhibitor and placed it on the ground, with the ruby gemstone facing downward.

Unfortunately, said gemstone also doubled as the camera, causing the live feed to the tower to be lost.

"AAAAAAWWWWW!" Came the collective cry of frustration from those present.

"Uh, Carrie? You dropped your bracelet." Cat asked, nervously. Then she and Alexis rubbed their eyes in confusion. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. Carrie had her arm stretched out in front of her, staring intently at the plastic cup.

And the cup…was floating. In the air.

With a flick from Carrie's wrist, the cup went sailing upwards, hit a steel beam hanging nearby, and came crashing to the ground.

Silence reigned amongst the trio for a whole minute. Finally, Alexis took it upon herself to speak.

"Wow." Was her simple response.

"So, you can do that…" Cat began, "And you live with Tony Stark. Are you goin – OHMAGAWDAREYOUGOINGTOBECOMEANAVENGER!?" The Latina hyperventilated.

"Breathe, Cat." Carrie smiled. "It's OK."

"Are you going to become an Avenger?" Cat repeated, now significantly calmer than before.

"Maybe, someday." Carrie replied, noncommittally. "You know how the Avengers saved my prom back in Maine?"

"Yeah. What about it?" Alexis responded.

"I didn't get my injuries from running away." Carrie responded. "I got them from helping the Avengers stop that killer robot."

Alexis and Cat looked into Carrie's eyes. It just sounded so ridiculous, and yet they had seen her lift a cup ten feet of the ground, with their very own eyes! They also recognised the same look of passion and conviction she got when she told them off over their Godzilla joke. In that moment, they recognised that she was telling the truth. The duo realised that Carrie not only believed in the sanctity of human life, but had actually fought to preserve it.

Alexis and Cat's already significant admiration for Carrie doubled in that moment.

Meanwhile, Carrie was continuing to talk. "And you know that "college" I go to in Westchester? That's actually a training school where I'm learning to master my abilities." She then placed her inhibitor back on her wrist. "This blocks my powers while I'm out in public, until I've fully mastered and controlled them." She then let out a long, sad sigh.

"I…I just wanted some friends who liked me for me." Carrie murmured. "Not for what I can do with my mind."

"Don't say that!" Alexis exclaimed. "We like you for you!"

"You've already proven you're a kind and sensitive person." Cat affirmed. "You're also resilient, having to live through indignities and horrors no human being should have to. The fact that you've come out of that with your respect for human life intact, and that you were willing to put yourself on the line to save your peers makes us like you even more."

Carrie could count the number of times in her life when she had felt truly happy on one hand. The first was when Tommy had asked her to the prom, and the second was when Tony had extended his invitation to come and live with him. Now here was the third moment, and she felt so deliriously happy that she felt like tiptoeing through the tulips and singing an aria to the heavens.

"So, you've got those two friends from back in Maine…" Cat began.

"And you've got your college…well, "college" friends in Westchester…" Alexis continued.

"And now you can consider us your first friends in New York." Cat concluded. "That is…if you'll have us."

"Of course!" Carrie exclaimed joyfully.

"Excellent!" Alexis stated. "Right, hand me your phone, Carrie."

"Why?" Carrie inquired as she did so.

"We're putting our phone numbers in." Cat replied as she and Alexis took turns pressing buttons on her phone. When they returned it to her, Carrie saw two new names amongst the familiar ones of Bruce, Tony and Steve – "Alexis" and "Cat".

"There, now you have our numbers." Alexis explained. "Whenever you want to hang out, if you want so talk, or if you just need a shoulder to cry on, just call or text one of us."

"Really?" Carrie wondered. "You mean it?"

"Sure, Carrie!" Cat beamed happily. "That's what friends are for!"

"Deactivate nanny cam protocol." Happy ordered F.R.I.D.A.Y. from the nearby parked car.

"_Nanny cam protocol deactivated._" With the AI's Irish lilt filling the air, the AV feed to Avengers Tower was killed.

"Ladies and gentlemen…WE GOT 'EM!" Tony declared.

Steve, Bruce, Peter and Pepper all broke out in a round of thunderous applause.

After the applause had died down, Tony spoke up again.

"So, Avengers…do we approve?" He asked.

"I do." Steve responded. "They're clearly good people, and they'll allow Carrie the opportunity to relax when she's not training and wants to go out."

"Well, I kinda _have _to approve." Bruce chipped in. "Because the alternative involves The Other Guy paying a visit to St. John's Academy, and that's a _baaaaaad _scene, man."

Peter just nodded his head. However, he was feeling a surging storm of emotions inside his soul. Despite the fact that Carrie hadn't spoken to him since he arrived at Avengers Tower, he had learnt so much about her from the AV feed that had been playing over that lunchtime period. Also, it had served as an effective distraction from the reality of why he was at Avengers Tower in the first place. Now, the cold hard reality of his situation had returned with a vengeance, threatening to send him over the emotional edge.

He just hoped Carrie would be there to catch him when he fell.

Meanwhile, the three newly-solidified friends were finishing off their goodbyes.

"Goodbye, Carrie!" Alexis began as she and Carrie shared a hug. "Cat and I are going to be thinking of you and Peter this week!"

"If you need anything, just get in touch!" Cat finished as she followed suit.

"Of course!" Carrie smiled brightly. "It was so wonderful meeting you both! Goodbye, Calexis!"

"FUCK YOU! THAT'S A STUPID NAME!" Cat screeched in a tone of playful anger at Carrie's departing back.

Carrie, feeling as though she was walking on the clouds of heaven itself, approached the nearby parked car, where she was greeted by the sight of Happy's stern visage as he rolled down the window.

"I do believe you owe me a lollipop." He said simply.

As the car pulled over on the way home at a candy store, Carrie got out of the car and perused the shelves looking for the long elusive sweetener. As she did so, she couldn't help but return to the words of the security guard outside the church that morning. _Have a blessed day, ma'am_. Carrie had started the day by offering a solemn prayer for the safe repose of the soul of Peter's Aunt May, and by the end had made her first friends in New York, with the potential of more. Even though the blessings were of a decidedly mixed variety, Carrie had to conclude that yes, it was a blessed day.

Eventually Carrie and Happy, the latter with his longed for sweet treat stuck firmly in his mouth, returned to Avengers Tower. They were greeted out of the elevator to the main suite by Tony.

"Ah, there you two are! So, the funeral's going to be on Friday, I've sent movers around to Peter's old place to get his stuff, Xavier's given Carrie the week off and-" He paused for a moment.

"Why does Happy have a lollipop?" He asked incredulously.

"BECAUSE…" Happy began. "You've dragged me out of bed at the crack of dawn to go to a place I haven't been to since I was a boy, I've been up and down more than a flipping jack-in-the-box, and I've had to listen to the Catholic schoolgirl versions of you bang on about made up relationship names! I'VE EARNED THIS!" With that final declaration, the fatigued chauffeur retired to the den.

"Peter's in his room, Carrie." Pepper encouraged.

Carrie took a deep breath. She was about to have her first conversation with her new brother, who had only become so through the most heartbreaking of circumstances. _Please Father, give me the right words to say_. She prayed silently as she entered Peter's room, where he was propped up on his bed watching TV.

"Oh!" He said as he scrambled to turn the TV off so he could bring his undivided attention to his guest. "You're Carrie."

"And you're Peter." Carrie observed.

"I was watching you on the feed today." Peter began. "Those new friends of yours seem nice. _You _seem nice."

"Tony was spying on me?" Carrie questioned, in a tone that suggested surprise, albeit not an overwhelming amount.

"Through that thing on your wrist." Peter replied. "There was a camera in there so we could see what was going on. We all cheered when you got their numbers."

Pushing aside her mixed feelings of overwhelming pride at her social success proving to be a source of pleasure for her new-found family and of mild annoyance at Tony's surveillance measure, Carrie pressed on.

"Never mind that. I'm much more concerned about you right now." She spoke, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I've got the week off from school. For the rest of this week, you are my only priority." She finished, sincerely.

"Was it true?" Peter whispered, trying to change the subject. "All those things you said happened to you before you got here?"

"Yes." Carrie responded, in a small voice.

Peter was bewildered. "You've been through all that, and you're still more worried about my problems?"

"My mother is currently locked away getting the help she needs." Carrie spoke with conviction. "And my bullies have had their reputations tarnished beyond repair. They can't hurt me anymore. You're here, and you're suffering right now."

Suddenly, Peter grabbed on tightly to Carrie's dress, like it was a life preserver in a dark emotional sea. Almost on instinct, Carrie's arms closed tightly around him like a Venus fly trap.

"I miss her!" Peter bawled, his tears soaking Carrie's dress. "I miss her so much, Carrie! I miss _them_!"

"I know! I know!" Carrie sobbed, tears cascading down her cheeks as Peter's emotions set off a chain reaction inside her own fragile mind. "Nobody deserves to lose your family like you have. But you have me, Dad, Steve and the rest now. And, as God is my witness, we aren't going anywhere."

**Next chapter: Carrie meets Peter's friends and receives a request. Later, Aunt May is laid to rest.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, just wanted to say thanks to pushtrak1, SnakeSoldier, dhnysports88 and the mastermind CocoaFlower21 who have all shown interest in the continuation of this fic! And, most of all, thanks to the wonderful T-Rex-1000 for his/her review! I'll address the main points of your review.**

**Yes, they are, aren't they? I was actually nervous about how they would be received because I've never written an LGBT relationship before, and not being a member of that community myself I was concerned about whether I could adequately and authentically capture their experience.**

**Unfortunately, none of the Ultras will appear in this story as planned out so far – well, except the one Ultra that actually made up with Carrie, according to "A New Leaf", which is Cocoa's bible to this universe. (Oops – did I just spoil a future chapter?)**

**No – Pennywise and "It" are just fictional entertainment in this world. And Stephen King, whilst still being a revered novelist, did not write "Carrie". **

**But I would REALLY appreciate it if you guys/gals would leave some reviews telling me what you think! After all, I've been out of the fanfic game for a while, and I could use the advice and support!**

"**No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear." – C.S. Lewis**

Chapter 2

It was in the very heart of the night when Carrie heard it. It was small, but it was there, like the sound of wind against the windowpane.

It was the unmistakable sound of someone crying, and it was coming from Peter's room.

Heart clenching in her chest, Carrie got out of bed and ran towards Peter's room. When she opened the door, what she saw broke her heart.

There was Peter, lying in his bed, twisting and turning while making frantic and desperate noises. He was having a nightmare.

"Peter?" Carrie asked, moving towards.

"N-no, no…Aunt May…" Peter whimpered, thrashing about with tears pooling in his eyes.

"Peter, I'm here!" Carrie whispered, putting a comforting hand around his shoulder.

"Please…please wake up! I'll do anything!" Peter pleaded in his dream state.

"Wake up, Peter! You're having a nightmare!" Carrie cried, sorrow for her new-found brother filling her voice. She shook his body desperately. "Please wake up!"

"AAAAAHHH!" Peter screamed as he jolted out of his bed. He twisted and turned his head around frantically, hyperventilating as he did so. He turned around to notice his new sister next to him.

"Oh. It's…it's you, Carrie." Peter sighed in embarrassment. "I'm…I'm sorry I woke you."

"No! Never apologise for missing your family, Peter." Carrie spoke, with firm conviction. Her tone then became one of empathy as she asked him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Peter took a long, hard breath followed by a shuddering release. When he spoke, his voice was like that of a small child. "I saw my Aunt, Carrie. She…she was lying there on the floor of my apartment when I got home from school. I tried so hard to wake her up, but nothing would happen."

Carrie then proceeded to fling her arms around Peter and hold him close to her. She gripped onto him desperately, refusing to let him go.

"I'm here for you, Peter." Carrie promised. "We're all going to be here for you. You're not alone."

Carrie then tucked Peter back into the bed. She then pulled up a chair, grabbed hold of his hand and began to hum a soft lullaby. As she did so, she offered a silent prayer for God to send peace into Peter's heart.

She would stay with Peter all through the night.

*** TWFAF ***

After her long night, Carrie would sleep for much of that day, trying to make up for lost rest. When she woke up, it was about three in the afternoon. Rolling over, she let out a loud yawn as she got out of bed. When she had emerged into the main living area, she saw Peter surrounded by three people.

The first, who was holding Peter's hands in a gesture of solidarity, was a brown-skinned girl with frizzy hair. Sitting on Peter's right were the two others. a slightly pudgy looking boy wearing glasses and a petite blonde girl with her hair in an efficient, tidy bow. Peter and his three guests looked up as they saw Carrie enter the room.

"Who's the dorkette?" The frizzy haired girl demanded.

"MJ, be nice." Peter pleaded, turning his attention to his sister. "Carrie, these are my friends from Midtown High in Queens. This here," he continued, indicating the frizzy haired girl, "is Michelle Jones, my girlfriend-"

"But all my friends, haters and slaves call me MJ." Came the interjection.

Peter pressed on, moving on to the boy. "This is Ned Leeds. He's my best friend, we're in the science club together and to be honest, he could stand to lose some weight."

"I've been trying really hard, I swear!" Ned replied, in a tone that indicated he wasn't bothered by Peter's jibe about his weight.

"And this," Peter concluded, getting to the blonde girl. "is Betty Brandt. She works for the school newspaper."

"Actually, it's an audio-visual presentation." Betty corrected. While Carrie could detect a hint of snobbishness in Betty's voice, it wasn't the bad kind of snobbishness and social elitism she had experienced with her old school bullies. It seemed to Carrie that whilst Betty was a stickler for facts, she was also very honest.

"MJ, Ned, Betty," Peter introduced. "This is Carrie. She's Mr. Stark's adopted daughter, and my new sister."

At the word "adopted", looks of sympathy spread across the faces of Ned and Betty.

"It's not the sad type of adoption, don't worry." Peter reassured them. This caused MJ, Ned and Betty to share looks between them.

"Well, I may have the week off, and it may be the holidays, but I've still got homework to do." Peter announced. "Carrie, why don't you show them your room?"

"Playing house with the dorkette. _Fun_." MJ declared in a tone of playful sarcasm. With that, the four teens moved towards Carrie's room. Once entering, Carrie began to show them her room.

"So, this is my room." Carrie began. She paused, however, as she noticed that MJ was very interested in the contents of her bookshelf.

"Machiavelli's _The Prince_." MJ noted, examining the cover. "Nice. Where'd you get this?"

"I'm reading it for my college philosophy class." Carrie answered. The text had been assigned to her by Beast, who taught English and Philosophy at the Xavier Institute. Reading the 16th century treatise had been a real eye-opener for Carrie in regards to the true nature of power. One of the central themes of the treatise was that the most effective rulers – whether they were the absolute monarchs of a bygone era or today's democratically elected politicians – would, and indeed _should_, do shady and immoral things to stay in power, rather than do the right thing and risk losing it.

"_He who neglects what is done for what ought to be done, sooner effects his ruin than his preservation_." Carrie responded, quoting one of _The Prince_'s most notable passages.

Ned and Betty stared at Carrie as if she had two heads. MJ, however, continued to peruse the contents of Carrie's bookshelf.

"_Macbeth, Pride and Prejudice, 1984 _and _The Hunger Games_." MJ continued, naming each book as she picked it up. "This is an impressive collection you've got here, Carrie."

"It's a reflection of the balance I'm trying to achieve in my life at the moment." Carrie explained. "_Pride and Prejudice_ is a nice reminder of the romance and wonder in the world. On the other hand, _The Prince_ and _Macbeth_ serve as a reminder of the true nature of man, whilst _1984_ and _The Hunger Games_ are a warning of the consequences of giving too much power to these men."

"Sounds like we all need to subscribe to your podcast." MJ quipped.

Ned, however, was more interested in the intricate star chart and table of the elements that were displayed on the front wall of the room.

"What's this?" He asked, holding up a copy of _Quantum Physics For Dummies_.

"Bruce gave it to me." Carrie said. "When you live with an Avenger, you need to learn a lot of things."

"Are you a Christian, Carrie?" Betty finally spoke up.

"Catholic, yes." Carrie replied. "How did you know?"

"Think that's kind of a giveaway." Ned replied, pointing to something. There, taking pride of place behind Carrie's bed, was a beautiful golden crucifix. It was a gift from Tony to replace the old wooden crucifix she left behind in Maine – a symbol of the start of a new journey in both her life and her faith.

"You're not going to try and convert us, aren't you?" Betty asked, somewhat sharply.

"Oh, come off it Betty." MJ declared. "We all know you have a brain in there, so use it. Does someone who owns copies of both _The Prince_ and _1984_ look like the type who would force their spiritual views on people?" She then turned towards Carrie. "But seriously, you're not, are you?"

"No. My faith is mine, and mine alone." Carrie declared, firmly. "In fact," she continued, noticing a small rainbow pin on MJ's jacket: "My first friends in New York are in a same sex relationship."

MJ's shoulders visibly relaxed at that statement. "Wow, that's dope." She declared. "Look, I know I can seem a bit flippant at times with Peter, but – and I'll deny this if it gets bought up in public – I do really care about Peter, and that includes his personal wellbeing. When I saw that cross, I was worried he would be living with someone who would be filling his head with all sorts of bigoted bullshit. But, I can see you're not that person now."

"I'm sorry, Carrie. I shouldn't have assumed the worst of you." Betty whispered, embarrassed.

"It's okay." Carrie responded. "I've forgiven worse things."

"Like what?" MJ butted in.

"Not important right now." Carrie skilfully dodged the question. It had become a subtle talent she had developed from watching Tony and the other Avengers at work in the media.

"How can you be so religious, and yet have all this science stuff?" Ned wondered, as if to remind the world of his existence.

"Part of the ongoing quest for balance and open-mindedness I'm trying to achieve in my life." Carrie responded. "I've had to rethink a lot of things since I've got here, and well, let's just say my home environment was not the best place for such a process."

At this statement, Betty's budding journalistic mind began to enter hyperdrive. First, there was Peter's statement that Carrie's presence in his and Tony Stark's family was not a case of "the sad type of adoption". This meant that Carrie was happy to be in Tony's care. Following that her statement that she had forgiven worse things in her life than her misjudgement of character. Finally, there was the more overt statement about her home life not being the best. Putting all these things together in her head, she painted a horrible picture in her head.

"Carrie? Were…were you abused?" Betty spoke in a small, nervous voice.

At these words, both Ned and MJ turned to Carrie. Her turned head provided them with all the answers they needed to know.

"No…" Betty murmured in horror, not wanting her worst-case scenario to come true.

"Oh my God…" MJ whispered, as she covered her mouth with her hand, whilst Ned just stood there, thunderstruck. Finally, after what had seen like an eternity, Carrie's voice filled the silence.

"Look, you guys, there is a story behind me being here. And I promise I will tell it. But that's for another day. I know you three are already sad enough for Peter, and I don't want to burden you with the details right now."

"OK, not right now." MJ agreed. "But, Carrie? One day after this funeral is done with, you and Peter are gonna sit down with us, and you WILL tell us about what happened."

After Carrie nodded in agreement, MJ, Ned and Betty said their goodbyes to Peter. As they left, Carrie couldn't help but think she had just found three new friends.

*** TWFAF ***

The next day, Tony, Pepper, Happy, Steve and Bruce were sitting together around a table. In front of them was a veritable feast of paperwork. This included a planning layout of St. John's Church, a list of potential speakers for the funeral, designs for Aunt May's headstone, along with pictures of the woman herself. The five of them had taken on the task of planning Aunt May's funeral. Seeing that Peter was now a member of their family, they had set about planning the service as though it were one of their own, with all the dignity and respect associated with it.

In theory.

But, in truth, anything that Anthony Edward Stark was associated with was only as dignified and respectful as he was.

Which is to say, not at all.

"So," Tony declared. "Are we actually going to be able to have, like, _actual music_ at this thing? Or am I going to have to grab one of Carrie's Shakespeare books and brush up on my thees and thous?"

"Father Stanley was actually surprisingly amenable to including modern music in the service." Happy replied. "But, since the funeral's going to be in a church, by rule there has to be at least one traditional hymn."

"So, Aunt May's will stipulated two songs she wanted played in the event of her passing." Pepper interjected, indicating pieces of paper that were strewn about the table. "I take it there'll be no objections?"

None were forthcoming.

"So, that leaves the hymn." Bruce announced, the avowedly secular scientist approaching the task with all the relish and anticipation of a proctological examination.

One that he was the subject of.

"Well, whatever it is, I sure hope that it's not that godawful dirge _The Star-Lord Is My _Shepherd." Tony declared. "Because I do not need to be hearing a song about that little asshole at a funeral. I'd much rather have a triumphant and uplifting hymn like _When I Survey The Wondrous Iron Man_."

"You're footing my next laundry bill for that one, Tony." Steve answered, rolling his eyes.

"Well, I do have one idea." Happy spoke up., a touch nervously.

"Ah! The lollipop man speaks!" Tony dramatically decreed. "You know what I say, better out than in, so let's hear it!"

"Whatever it is, I think Carrie should sing it." Happy replied, with a touch of respect in his voice.

At this, four heads swung in his direction.

"What are you talking about?" Tony wondered. "Look, she's a great kid and I think we've all-" He then swept his hand around the room to indicate all present company: "grown to love her to death over the last few months. But, even though she's gotten more confident lately, she's still very shy in public. Did you see her at the last Stark Industries presentation? She just sat there quietly and didn't talk to anyone except us. She wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Well, I think she can." Happy defended. Then, he remembered something. Something that he knew could convince Tony.

"I'll be right back." He announced. The security chief then proceeded to make a bee-line for Peter's room, where he found him and Carrie locked in a rather competitive game of NBA2K19.

"Hey, Carrie.' Happy asked. 'Can I borrow your inhibitor for just a second? Tony just wants to make sure everything's A-OK."

"Sure. It's in my top drawer." Carrie replied. Thanking her, Happy then made his way to Carrie's room where, sure enough, he recovered the small silver device. Holding it in his hands, he made his way back to where the four funeral-planners.

"I've got something to show you guys." Happy spoke.

"What's Carrie's inhibitor got to do with anything?" Bruce wondered, confused.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y?" Happy began. "Access media from device 'Ruby'".

"_Designate media_." F.R.I.D.A.Y's voice filled the room.

"Video archive." Happy replied.

"_Designate timestamp_." F.R.I.D.A.Y. requested.

"Sunday July 21, 2019 at 10:01am Eastern." Was Happy's command. The AI complied with the request immediately, projecting a video into the air above the table. What Tony, Steve, Bruce and Pepper saw on the video shocked and moved them.

It was a recording of Carrie in church that Sunday morning, singing the opening hymn. The four who had not been to church that day watched as Carrie sang her heart out. This was a hidden function of the inhibitor, nicknamed "Ruby" because of the red gemstone in its centre. Even if the "Nanny Cam Protocol" was not active, the device still recorded and stored audio and video for up to a week.

They were struck by two main thoughts. The first one was, that she had a beautiful voice. They watched transfixed as their newly found daughter lifted up her voice to her maker, offering her sung prayer for strength and guidance to walk the path of righteousness. If they didn't know better, they could've sworn that they were watching an angel delivering thanksgiving and praise – if they were inclined to believe in such beings. The second main thought was the look of sheer confidence that shone in her face. Gone was the nervousness and shyness that had plagued her at various public events in the recent past. Gone was the anxiety and turmoil over being thrust into the role of big sister and comforter to a grieving Peter. In its place was an image of serenity and contentment.

Tony could only think of the sheer joy he was watching on his daughter's face in that moment. He had seen such joy on Carrie's face only once before – when he had offered to take her in after Margaret White was arrested for trying to kill her. When he had seen Carrie's emotional response to his offer, it had seemed to him that she saw him and his fellow Avengers as deliverers from her own personal hell. He realised that, even though he was dismissive and disrespectful of certain arcane notions of religion, he deeply admired Carrie's deep devotion to her faith and realised that it was real.

Steve, however, was focusing on the love and feeling in Carrie's voice. He remembered two occasions on which he saw such love. The first one had been when Carrie had moved into the tower, and Tony had given her the gift of a new crucifix as a token of her new start in life. He would never forget the way Carrie threw his arms around him and thanked him profusely with tears in her eyes. The second moment was when he had heard about how Carrie had stayed with Peter through the night to comfort him after his nightmare. He compared the two events in his head and realised the love she had shown for both Tony and Peter came from her faith.

Bruce, however, was thinking of Carrie's wonder at everything she saw. He remembered the day he first showed her his lab, and how she stared at all the various instruments and devices. A memory came to him how he had found her staring at a diagram of a double-helix in awe and wonder. When he had asked why she was so fascinated, she had simply said that seeing the multiple strands of D.N.A. In the helix and its formation into the genetics of a human being simply magnified her awe and wonder at God's creation. Bruce had wondered at her new-found love of science as she had marvelled at the various different ways that the earth and everything in it worked, and he could see it again here.

When the video finished, the five witnesses sat there in silence for what seemed an eternity. Eventually, Tony spoke. "Wow. Well, that's…that was something."

"So, we ask her then?" Steve inquired.

"Yep." Tony responded. "But I'm not picking the hymn."

Meanwhile, Peter and Carrie had finished off their NBA game, with Peter's Golden State Warriors inflicting a crushing defeat on Carrie's New York Knicks.

"YES! I win again!" Peter exclaimed, pumping his fist with exuberance.

"Only because you tied me to my bed with your web and I had to cut myself out, causing you to get to the controllers first and saddling me with the stupid Knicks." Carrie grumbled.

"I told you, Carrie! First one to the console gets to pick the teams! It's that simple!" Peter continued gleefully, proceeding to rub it in. Eventually, his cheeky grin fell away and he began to speak seriously.

'I've really enjoyed hanging out with you this week, Carrie. I've liked getting to know you and introducing my friends to you. But it's all been just a distraction in the end. They're going to put my aunt in the ground on Friday, Carrie. They're going to put her in a box, put her in the ground and put a big stone over the top. And then it'll all be over. I'll have no more family left." Peter whispered, as tears stung his eyes.

"No, no, don't do this Peter." Carrie begged as she hugged him and rubbed his back to comfort him. "If you start crying, I'll start crying, and then we'll never get anything done. Besides, you've got all of us now. And you'll always have me."

"I..I will?" Peter whispered.

"Always." Carrie reassured. This touching moment was interrupted by a knock at the door from Pepper.

"Carrie? Could you come se.." she began, trailing off when she noticed the two in an emotional embrace. "I'll come back then…"

"No, you should go, Carrie." Peter interjected, as he pressed some buttons on the controller. "They probably need you for something."

"You sure?" Carrie asked nervously.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll be fine, Carrie." Peter replied, as he was starting a new game on his PlayStation. "I'll just play by myself for a bit."

Shrugging noncommittally, clearly not convinced by his words, Carrie left with Pepper and headed for the dining room. When she got there, she saw Tony, Steve and Bruce all sitting there.

"OK, what do you guys want?" Carrie inquired, feeling like she was about to be interrogated.

"I didn't know you could sing like that." Tony began, cutting right to the chase.

"Sing like what?" Carrie asked, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Happy showed us video of you singing at church this week, Carrie." Bruce began. "It…it was…" The scientist stuttered, feeling at a loss for words.

"You spied on me at Mass?" Carrie asked, shocked, momentarily feeling a sense of betrayal.

"Hey now, we did not _spy _on you." Tony defended. "Spying implies we're watching you at that moment. This device just stores video and audio, even if it isn't active in a live feed situation. It's for your own safety." He finished, indicating Ruby, which he held in his hand.

"It was beautiful, sweetheart." Pepper chipped in. "You sounded like an angel."

"Oh!" Carrie reacted, briefly feeling embarrassed. "Umm…thanks?" She finished sheepishly.

"Here's the thing." Steve spoke, getting to the point. "We'd like you to sing at the funeral."

Carrie was flabbergasted. Sing? In public? At the funeral for Peter's aunt?

Sure, when she sung, she felt a sense of serenity and peace. But that was because when she sang, either alone, or with others, she was singing for an audience of one – the only One that mattered, as far as she was concerned. Now, she was being asked to sing in front of a large crowd, in one of the most solemn and serious circumstances one could ask for and on the saddest day for her new brother to boot. She couldn't possibly do this…could she?

"Why me?" Carrie wondered.

"I'll be honest, Carrie." Tony responded. "By rule, there has to be at least one hymn, and you and the Rear Admiral Of The Arctic Ice Shelf over there are the only ones in this tower who have any whiff of spirituality about them, and he'd probably try to sing in Latin or something, so that leaves you."

"And you've been wondering about what you can do for Peter during this sad time." Pepper finished. 'Maybe you can give him the gift of your voice."

It was then that Carrie made her decision. She had been with Peter most of the time ever since he had moved in, and she had done all she could to comfort him and take his mind off the terrible situation that he was in. But she knew that it was futile and meaningless, if Peter's statement from earlier was to be believed. She then knew what she had to do. She would provide honour and tribute to someone who had been a huge part of her brother's life, and she would show her solidarity and mourning with Peter.

"Okay." Carrie nodded. "I'll do it. For him!"

"Mazel tov!" Tony declared, clapping his hands together. "Now you and Charleston Heston can go and pick out a song. Maybe you can fire up your super-divine Wi-fi and get some ideas."

With that, Carrie and Steve would retire and consider her choice. They soon discovered that there were a large selection of hymns available on Spotify to listen to. While the service had helped Carrie make a connection to the world of popular music (she had developed an affinity for Demi Lovato, Little Mix, Machine Gun Kelly and even some bands like Aerosmith and Iron Maiden), she found it a pleasant surprise to find out that she could feed her spiritual side through the surface as well. The two of them would search through a myriad of recordings of various hymns, with Carrie silently praying to God to show her the one that would best convey her grief, love and support for Peter. Eventually, they came across one that Carrie and Steve knew was perfect.

Carrie had informed Steve and Tony that she would sing this particular hymn a Cappella, as this would mean that the song, in that moment, would be uniquely hers and would not be influenced by other artists interpretations. Tony graciously allowed her to rehearse in a soundproof room in one of his labs, because she wanted this to be a surprise to Peter. She practised for several hours a day, with lyrics and without, until she was absolutely secure and confident in her ability.

Then Friday came.

*** TWFAF ***

The day of the funeral dawned fine, but there was a thick bank of cloud over the skies of Manhattan, as if the weather reflected the mood of those gathered in Avengers Tower that day. The occupants of the tower were getting dressed and getting ready with the utmost seriousness. Tony was hearing a dark blue suit over a white dress shirt. He then donned a pair of his trademark sunglasses – a sign that he wished to mask his simmering emotions. Steve wore a smart black shirt with a red tie. Pepper was wearing a dark green dress with a cortège above her right breast. Bruce and Happy were wearing the same sort of efficient bespoke suits. Carrie watched all this whilst she was making her own preparations.

Just then, the door to the tower opened and in walked the other three members of the Avengers that Carrie had fought with that night in Maine – Thor, the prince of Asgard, Natasha Romanoff a.k.a the Black Widow, and Clint Barton a.k.a. Hawkeye. Due to Thor's status as a guardian of the realms and Natasha and Clint's as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Carrie didn't get to see them as often as Tony, Bruce or Steve. Thor was looking dapper in a smart brown dress coat, whilst Natasha and Clint wore contrasting black and white outfits.

"Good day for it, Point Break." Tony welcomed as he cast his eyes around at the gathering gloom.

"Aye. Tis indeed a sad day when one has to farewell a loved one." Thor remarked. "I remember when Volstagg lost his mother. He consumed so much ale at the farewell feast that he attacked Loki without his sword, imagining him to make a jape about his manhood, when in fact said jape originated from the Lady Sif. Rest assured, the outcome was amusing for all involved."

Meanwhile, Carrie was finishing making her own preparations. She was wearing a long black dress with a cortège at the top. On her head sat a small black hat. Even though she normally didn't cover her hair in public, she chose to do so on this occasion, both as a sign of humility before God and as a gesture of mourning and solidarity with Peter. As she fastened her cross around the neck and made sure "Ruby" was attached to her wrist, she made her way to Peter's room, where she saw him getting dressed.

"Hnnnh! Stupid bow-tie!" Peter grumbled as he struggled with the offending object. Carrie then reached down and assisted him, resulting in him looking rather smart in his bow tie with a black tuxedo.

'Thanks." Peter grinned sheepishly. Then he frowned. "I don't like it when you cover your hair, Carrie."

"I know. I don't like it either. But I'm doing it because I'm sad for you, Peter. You've been grieving, and I've been grieving too. Today, you're going to mourn your aunt, and I'll mourn with you. I love you, Peter." Carrie finished as she, for what seemed like the millionth time that week, hugged Peter tightly.

"Do you think Aunt May's in heaven, Carrie?" Peter blurted.

"Why would you say that?" Carrie asked, shocked.

"Well, she smoked and drank a lot. I think I heard the doctors say that that may have messed with her heart and led to her death. Also, all the swearing. And she also dated a lot of men after my Uncle Ben died, which I'm pretty sure is frowned upon."

Carrie felt her heart break for Peter in that moment. No one should have to endure the kinds of loss that he had suffered all his life, never mind worrying themselves to death about the state of their relatives' immortal souls. She also felt conflicted about Peter's question, as he was calling on her for an answer of religious significance. While she did not proselytise her faith to other people, she still prayed daily that other people, including her fellow Avengers, would come to know the joy and contentment she felt being a follower of Christ. But she knew that those were decisions that would play out in their own lives, and she could not guide them there – only God would.

"Did she believe in God?" Carrie wondered.

"Yes, to some degree." Peter replied. "She had a cross on the wall in our house, and we would go to church every Christmas and Easter. Although she seemed to be much less enthusiastic about it after Uncle Ben died."

"Peter." Carrie began. "I promised that I wouldn't force my faith on you or your friends. You can say no to this if you want, and I won't be upset. But I would like to say a prayer with you for your aunt."

"You'd…you'd do that? For someone you've barely met?" Peter asked, flummoxed.

"I would do that for any of my friends and family that asked for it, because that's what the Lord wants me to do." Carrie responded with genuine conviction.

"You know what? I'd…I'd like that." Peter answered.

"Okay. Do you have a picture of your aunt?" Carrie asked. In response. Peter walked over to his table and picked up a framed photo. In it, both her and Peter had their arms locked around each other, wide smiles etched on their faces. Aunt May was wearing a white shirt with blue stripes and the word 'Mets' written on it in blue writing with an orange outline, whilst Peter wore a bright blue shirt with 'NEW YORK' written in orange capitals. Both were wearing blue caps with the orange 'NY' emblem of the New York Mets on them.

"This is me and Aunt May on the night the Mets beat the Cubs to go to the World Series." Peter responded, going on to explain how the Mets had bested the Chicago Cubs 4-0 to win the National League pennant and earn the right to compete in the World Series. He detailed how he and Aunt May had screamed in delight on their couch as the Mets crushed the Cubs 8-3 to seal the series at the historic Wrigley Field, and how the aptly-named Daniel Murphy (he would explain the significance of the name to Carrie at a later date) was named Man Of The Series as he was the lead contributor to the demise of the then-cursed Chicago franchise. He finished by explaining how he and Aunt May had spent the rest of that night dancing with revellers in the streets of Queens.

"The less said about what actually happened once we got to that World Series, the better." Peter quipped, trying to lighten the mood as he remembered the almost as one-sided World Series that followed against the Kansas City Royals, where Peter and his fellow Mets fans were forced to endure the ignominy of having Kansas City celebrate a World Series win in their own backyard at Citi Field.

"That sounds like a beautiful memory, Peter." Carrie smiled as she visualised the scene in her head.

"It was." Peter responded. "Aren't you gonna…"

"Oh!" Carrie gasped. "Of course. Let's hold it together." When he had done that, Carrie continued her instruction. "Now, keep your memory of that night fresh in your mind. Remember how happy you and your aunt felt, seeing those big home runs go over that ivy fence. It's a happy, wonderful memory, and we're going to be praying for eternal happiness for your aunt."

"So, a prayer is like a Patronus, then?" Peter wondered.

"In a way." Carrie responded, remembering how she had voraciously consumed the series when she arrived at the tower. She had loved the idea that the fuel behind one of the most powerful spells in the Wizarding World was happiness and love. "You don't have to say anything - I'll do all the praying."

When she saw Peter close his eyes, trying to keep those happy memories going in his head, Carrie turned towards the picture and began to pray aloud, speaking with the utmost love in her voice, as though she was addressing Aunt May herself.

"I commend you, my dear sister, to almighty God, and entrust you to your Creator. May you return to Him who formed you from the dust of the earth. May Holy Mary, the angels, and all the saints come to meet you as you go forth from this life. May Christ who was crucified for you bring you freedom and peace. May Christ who died for you admit you into his garden of paradise. May Christ, the true Shepherd, acknowledge you as one of his flock. May He forgive all your sins, and set you among those He has chosen. May you see your Redeemer face to face, and enjoy the vision of God forever. Amen." Carrie brushed a small tear from her eye as she finished the prayer.

Peter was amazed. Here was his new sister, someone he had only known for a week, offering such beautiful words for someone she had never even met? And yet, as he focused on the joy that he and Aunt May had felt as they watched and celebrated that remarkable night at Wrigley Field, he had truly happy for the first time since her passing.

"That…that was really nice, Carrie. Thank you." Peter spoke, as a strangled sob escaped his throat.

"Oh Peter!" Carrie whimpered, as tears rolled down her cheeks as if part of a chain reaction. The two wrapped their arms over the others shoulders and began to cry openly, as they mourned together. This went on for a considerable period of time.

Enter the man most suited for such a emotionally tender moment – Tony Stark.

"Hey, Peter, the Minnesota Mascot has to get back to his space palace by midnight, so let's get- oh no." He trailed off, noticing the two weeping teens. 'And you're having a moment. I'm sorry."

"No, Mr. Stark, it's OK." Peter insisted as he and Carrie wiped their eyes with the offered handkerchieves. "In fact, I'm actually kind of feeling much better about today than I was."

Tony smiled, as he then realised that Carrie and Peter had forged a strong bond together and would be wonderful siblings to one another.

"Alright, well Peter, Carrie, let's get moving." He invited.

*** TWFAF ***

And so the group of mourners left Avengers Tower as they made the journey to Queens. As she was getting in the car to leave, Carrie noticed the deepening gloom around the Manhattan skyline. To her, it appeared as if the weather, along with the tall Manhattan skyscrapers, were showing their grief as well. The group of cars snaked their way around the avenues of Manhattan, eventually taking the underwater Queens-Midtown tunnel and heading north on the I-495 expressway. Peter was able to point out several Queens landmarks to Carrie, like his old neighbourhood of Forrest Hills, the Arthur Ashe tennis stadium which hosts the US Open and Citi Field, the home of Peter's beloved Mets, all of which were visible from the expressway. Eventually, they took an off-ramp and entered into Queens proper, eventually arriving at the church.

When they arrived, they were greeted by MJ, Ned and Betty, who were all accompanied by their parents. MJ wore a dark green jacket and a blouse, with her hair tied up neatly. Ned was wearing a navy blue dress shirt with a bow-tie and formal pants, whilst Betty was wearing a black dress with a veil wrapped around her face. Carrie couldn't help but smile. Whilst she felt the veil was a touch on the ostentatious side, she knew that it meant Betty was deeply upset over the whole situation and was showing her solidarity with Peter.

As the mourners entered the church, they fell into their own groups as they took their seats.

"Well, I haven't burst into flames yet. Good start." Tony quipped to Pepper as they entered the main body of the church.

Meanwhile, Carrie was briefing Steve, who had rarely attended church in this new age, on the English versions of certain prayers.

"And instead of "_Ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meam"_ I say…" Steve prompted.

"And with your spirit." Carrie responded helpfully.

"And with your spirit." Steve nodded. "Gotta get used to that."

MJ, Ned and Betty were talking among themselves. "I once read that the Apostle John was boiled alive in the middle of the Colosseum by the Emperor Domitian." MJ recalled. "Here's the weird thing though – nothing happened, or so they say."

"What's that?" Betty whispered to Ned, pointing to an object shaped like a trophy attached to a chain.

"I think there's incense in there or something." Ned offered, recalling depictions of funerals he had seen on TV. "They swing it around the coffin, I think."

"Let's sit at the back, then. I don't want it to get in my dress." Betty replied.

Meanwhile, Thor and Clint were deep in discussion. Thor held a pamphlet that detailed the tenets of the Catholic faith, and he was desperately trying to make sense of the strange Midgardian custom he was about to witness.

"How can one man turn bread and wine into the flesh and blood of another?" The Asgardian prince wondered. "Truly a ludicrous concept."

"You think that's confusing, wait until someone tries to explain the Trinity to you." Clint groused. "Five years of Catholic school in Southie was enough for me, thank you very much. I think I respected those nun-cosplaying bank robbers more than the actual nuns."

Eventually, the service began. Aunt May's coffin was carried into the church by six men, none of whom Carrie recognised. They then set the coffin down at the front of the church with the utmost care and respect. The casket was made of solid oak, with gold bars on each side. A vide variety of flowers and wreaths had been placed around the outside, with a giant picture of Aunt May's smiling face taking pride of place. Carrie placed a comforting hand on Peter's shoulder as this was playing out. Then, after the Sign Of The Cross and a short opening prayer (which left Steve cursing silently because he missed his cue), Father Stanley began to introduce the service.

"We are gathered here today to give thanks to our Heavenly Father for the life of May Riley Parker. She was a tireless worker for the people of this community. She was a faithful and loving wife to her husband Ben, who she will embark with on the next great adventure. She was a loving aunt and guardian to her nephew Peter, who is in attendance here today. And, last but certainly not least, she was the most radiant soul one could imagine. Death can be hard and heartbreaking, but it is not the end. Indeed, for those that have passed on, it is only the beginning."

After this brief introduction, the service began in earnest. There were two readings – the first involved God's promise of a new heaven and a new earth, as foretold to the Apostle John in the Book Of Revelation. This included a line that Carrie found very poignant: "_There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."_ The Gospel, read by Father Stanley, was the account of Jesus' crucifixion and the repentant thief who begged Jesus to remember him when he came into his kingdom. Carrie hoped that Peter understood that Christ's promise to the thief of eternal life in paradise was extended to his aunt.

Afterwards, one of Aunt May's co-workers gave a tribute to her charity work involving various projects in Queens, then played a funny video of her singing at a karaoke bar. These led into the first of three songs that would be played at the funeral – _Angel_ by Sarah McLachlan. The song's haunting melody filled the church as a slide-show played on the electronic screen featuring photos from May Parker's life, including her as a young child, and progressing through her high school years to adulthood. Carrie felt deeply affected by the display, and evidently so did several others – she could distinctively hear Tony mutter something about "damn allergies". But there was also some confusion.

"Wait…Sarah McLachlan sings this song?" Ned whispered to Betty. "I always thought it was Sinead O'Connor!"

Eventually, it was time for the eulogy, which would be delivered by Peter. Carrie held Peter's hand in support as he got up. "You'll do great." She whispered encouragingly. Peter nodded his appreciation as he walked over to the microphone. He took a few deep breaths and then began to speak.

"Aunt May was…she was many things to me. She was the cool aunt that always bought me toys and took me to baseball games. But, when my parents died, she effectively became my mum as well. She had to worry about my lunch, about my grades, about whether I would sneak out or not. She had a lot on her plate, and she and I went through a lot together.

The most difficult moment we had together was the night Uncle Ben died. We just held each other through the night. I was crying my eyes out because I left him alone for, like, one second and I thought that I had killed him. She said that it couldn't possibly be, because if a trained fighter like my uncle couldn't stop that guy, than who could? I told her I was worried about her having to raise me by herself. She told me that the night Uncle Ben and her took me in, they sat down and talked about it. She said that they had been given the greatest power anybody could ever have – parenthood. He had told her that with great power comes great responsibility. That was something that they both said to me, and that was something I took on board.

But it wasn't all serious and sad. She always liked to take me to Mets games. I'll never forget going to Game 3 against the Dodgers and booing the crap out of Chase Utley. I thought she was going to start twirling me in the air like when I was little when Céspedes put Alex Wood into the second tier. But perhaps the most magical night of all was when we beat the Cubs at Wrigley to go to the big dance. We were watching on TV at home, screaming every time the Mets put a run up. When Murphy made it 8-1, we went off the deep end. I believe the exact words she used were "Kiss my ass, you W-flying weirdos!" Then we just went out and danced in the streets all night. It was wonderful.

Sure, I'm sad to see her go, and I'm going to miss her. But, I'm starting to think the fact that I even got to learn so much from her, and had those amazing nights with her, was the most important thing. And I think that I'll come to remember those lessons and moments more than her. Thanks for everything, Aunt May." With that, Peter stepped down from the microphone, placed his hand lovingly on top of the coffin for a brief moment, and returned to his seat.

"I told you that you'd do great." Carrie whispered as she gave him a small hug.

"Now, I believe that somebody has a song that they'd like to sing." Father Stanley announced. Carrie recognised that as her cue and got up and walked around to the front of the church. With the exception of the group of Avengers who knew already, the reaction of the majority was surprise. Peter, especially, did a double take. The hymn she was supposed to sing simply indicated that it would be performed by an un-named soloist. The identity of the soloist was revealed, and it was a source of shock to some. Carrie walked up to the microphone and stood their nervously. The location of the microphone was in front of the stained glass window of Christ's Agony in the Garden, which made it seem like Carrie's Saviour was giving his blessing to her act of grief and love.

"Hi. I'm Carrie, Peter's…his new sister." She began, nervously. "I never met his Aunt May, but from what I've heard she was a committed and funny person. This is my own tribute to her…and my gift to my brother."

And with that, Carrie began to sing _Abide With Me_.

As Carrie sang, she kept her mind firmly focused on Peter. Even though the song was called "Abide With Me", Carrie was applying the song's plea for God's constant presence in life to Peter. She thought about how every one that was entrusted with his guardianship had passed on to the great beyond. Her heart broke as she imagined the constant change and turmoil he must have experienced in his life as he was being shuttled from residence to residence. She prayed God would work through her to give him stability in his life.

Carrie was deeply concerned about the mental effects that such a loss could have on Peter. Mourning and grief could quite easily lead to depression, which in turn could lead to disturbing acts such as suicide or self-harm. Carrie believed that such awful things were the work of Satan as he and the Almighty were locked in a never-ending battle for the souls of humanity. She prayed to God to safeguard his heart from the devil's power, and to be there for him on this sad day, as He was with him and Aunt May on those happy nights against the Dodgers and the Cubs.

It was at this point in the song that Carrie began to become more hopeful. Since Peter had suffered such loss in his life, he would not be afraid of any of the inherent dangers that would come in his career as a superhero.. She had also observed that the signs of mourning for Peter were becoming fewer and fewer, as he never once stopped for tears in the middle of his beautiful eulogy. It was then she realised that Peter's history of family tragedy would not define him. In fact, with the guidance of herself, her fellow Avengers, and God, he would become all the stronger for it.

Carrie eventually reached the final verse and the final push home. When she reached the line "_Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies_" her voice soared to the heaven's, as if she was an angel directing Aunt May's spirit up to heaven. She knew that, in that moment, God was with her and Peter. Carrie offered a prayer for his protection for them both throughout this life, and for their eternal kinship in the life to come. Just then, Carrie could hear a disembodied voice speaking to her.

"I like you, kid." The voice, which Carrie knew in that instant to be Aunt May's, said. "You take care of my boy now."

_I will. Forever._ Carrie vowed silently as her performance ended. Opening her eyes, she cast her eyes around the church to see the different reactions.

Tony had his sunglasses firmly in place, no doubt complaining about his "allergies", whilst Pepper, her eyes glassy, was fumbling around in her purse looking for something. Bruce, Steve and Thor all wore the same grim, stoic expression. Happy had his head bowed, looking off to the side. Clint had his head in his hands, no doubt thinking of his young family, whilst Natasha, in a rare act of tenderness and comfort had placed a comforting hand on his knee. Betty was sobbing into a tissue, whilst being comforted by Ned and someone Carrie assumed was her mother. MJ, whilst not crying, was biting her lip and looking around nervously as if she was seeking a way out. And Peter could only stare at her in surprise and awe.

"I didn't know you could sing like that." He whispered as Carrie returned to her seat.

"I know. I wanted to surprise you." Carrie replied, as she wrapped her arm over Peter's shoulder.

"You seem to have a lot of surprises." Peter answered simply.

_Oh, you have no idea, Peter_. Carrie thought.

After a brief ceremony where Father Stanley and two attendants swung the metal thimble of incense around the coffin in order to purify the body, it was time for the final song.

"Now, this is a fun song, and May liked to have fun above all else." Father Stanley declared. "So, in honour of her memory, get up and have some fun!"

A faintly tropical beat echoed through the church. Carrie's eyes lit up in delight as the first lyrics registered in her hearing. Indeed, this song was about a wonderful phrase – and that phrase was _Hakuna Matata. _The congregation sung with enthusiasm as they took on the _Lion King_ classic about Timon and Pumbaa's worry-free lifestyle. The women took on the voice of Timon and the men responded with the voice of Pumbaa as the duo's famous "_When He/I was a young warthog" _duet echoed through the sacred space. Carrie couldn't help but laugh at the sheer absurdity that was unfolding before her – never in her wildest dreams did she imagine she'd be singing about a farting warthog in church!

But the song also had a serious message for those in attendance – simply put, don't worry. Everything will be okay in the end. When it reached the line "_It means no worries, for the rest of your days_.", Carrie spun Peter around to face her and sung these words to his face, letting him know she would always be there for him. Peter, visibly moved by this and cognisant of Carrie's own troubled past, returned the favour the next time that line came around.

"Are all your mourning ceremonies this much fun, maiden Carrie?" Thor asked from behind her.

"Afraid not, Thor." Carrie replied with a stupid grin on her face.

"Then I will treasure this one for the rest of my days." The Asgardian prince declared.

Nobody had even noticed the pallbearers making their final exit.

*** TWFAF ***

After the service, there was a relatively short drive to the cemetery where Aunt May would finally be put to rest. As they arrived at the cemetery gates, the persistent gloom that had been there for much of the day eventually gave way to rain. It had steadied in earnest by the time people began to exit the cars, causing all present to hurriedly scramble for shelter under umbrellas or hoods. Eventually, they reached the place where the burial would take place.

"Now is the tine that we return our sister May to the earth from whence all life came." Father Stanley intoned. "Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she Rest In Peace."

At this, the coffin was lowered into the ground. Carrie and MJ, who stood on either side of Peter, each squeezed a hand as the coffin was lowered into the ground. One by one, the gathered mourners grabbed a pile of dirt and threw it on top of the casket. Eventually, and appropriately, the last throw went to Peter, who stared longingly at the casket for an extremely long time before throwing his handful down and departing. There, next to the grave of his Uncle Ben, was a headstone that joined aunt and uncle, husband and wife, together in eternity.

**MAY RILEY PARKER**

**Beloved wife and aunt**

"**I've just been really lucky to not be too much of a stereotype."**

**December 4, 1964-July 18, 2019**

Later, during the wake at Avengers Tower, Carrie was congratulated by her Avengers family for her beautiful singing performance. Eventually, she found herself deep in conversation with MJ, Ned and Betty.

"Where'd you learn to sing like that, Carrie?" Ned wondered.

"I taught myself." Carrie replied simply. "Singing always bought me a sense of comfort and joy when things got bad at home, and it still does today."

"Well, I guess we should be saying thank you." MJ supplied. "That was…well, _lovely_, and I don't use that word very often."

"And Peter told us all about how you were there for him through the week and today." Betty finished, with genuine support in her voice. "Thanks for being such a wonderful sister to our friend, Carrie."

"Wait..you mean Peter told you about…" Carrie trailed off.

"That whole thing with his aunt's photo? Yep." MJ replied.

"And…you don't hate me because of my religion?" Carrie wondered.

"Now why would we do that?" Ned wondered.

"Remember how I said that I've had to forgive worse things than Betty being sharp with me?" Carrie asked. "One of those things. But maybe we can talk about that some other time. Sometime when we're, you know…happier?"

"I'd like that." MJ grinned as Ned and Betty smiled and nodded in support. "We'd like that a lot."

*** TWFAF ***

**Now that I've made a clear indication that this story is set more or less in the present day, this seems like an appropriate juncture to establish some things about this universe.**

**The events of Carrie/**_**A New Leaf**_** take place towards the back end of 2018.**

**The whole MCU/Avengers Initiative started two years later than in the movies. So, the events of **_**The Avengers**_** take place in 2014 instead of 2012.**

_**Civil War**_** did happen, just before the events of **_**A New Leaf**_**, except Hulk fights on Cap's team instead of Spider-Man on Iron Man's (Hulk never crashes the jet in A2 in this universe). The incarceration of the "Secret Avengers" did occur, but due to certain characters living together in the tower, it's pretty safe to say that that was resolved more cleanly than the movie-verse. I will include exposition in a later chapter as to how all this came about.**

**Falcon, Scarlet Witch etc. are still out there – they're not chopped liver! I'm going to show Carrie interacting with them more once she gets her ruby training wheels off.**

**I'm not going to be covering **_**Infinity War/Endgame **_**in this story, but I am not ruling out a future story set in this universe of how Carrie deals with the fallout of those events, should there be sufficient interest.**

**Next Chaoter: We check in on Carrie's training at the Xavier Institute. Later, she attends her first meeting of the youth group, only to find one of her new friends has a shocking connection to an event from her past.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks once again to T-Rex-1000 for their review. I'm glad that you appreciated the balance I was trying to strike between the zany humour the MCU traffics in as well as the solemn, serious occasion of the funeral and the associated mourning. Also, I'd like to thank jade1Dreader for expressing her ongoing interest by following this story. I'd really appreciate some more reviews!**

**Before I start, if this chapter takes longer than usual to finish, it is because that I am not as up with the X-Men as I am with other Marvel characters, and I have been doing research to make sure I get the representation of these characters and their abilities right. Also, for the purposes of this fic, the shower incident and all that followed took place in Carrie's senior year, instead of junior.**

**Lastly, I would like to state this chapter has a TRIGGER WARNING for discussion of child abuse, specifically Carrie's own as well as a brief reference to the Catholic Church abuse scandal.**

**I will take this opportunity to make a new speech key for this fic.**

This = Main narrative

_This = Thoughts or quotes_

**This = Flashbacks**

_This = Translated speech (Imagine this as subtitles in a movie)_

"**Most evil in the world is only partly because of an evil person. Most of it is because of the complicity of bystanders." – Tim Kaine**

*** TWFAF ***

Chapter 3

Carrie stood in the middle of New York City's famed Times Square. For her, this could have been any day of her new found life. Except it was obviously not, a fact that had slowly begun to dawn on the young telekinetic. For one, the squares famed billboards had gone dark. Whereas she could always count on them to be advertising the likes of Coca-Cola, Kodak or Chrysler, she could see nothing. Some even had cracks in them. The streets, which were always busy with tourists and New Yorkers alike, were empty. Flames were ravaging several buildings off in the distance, the smoke billowing into the air of what was to be a fine summers day. Something terrible had evidently happened here.

Just then, she saw a red message flashing on the watch-like object on her wrist. It read: INCOMING MESSAGE. When she pressed the green button on the waa then, a holographic image popped up before her.

"_Are you ready for your new mission, Agent Stark?_" asked the image, which was of a stern, serious looking African-American man with an eye-patch over his right eye. This was none other than Nick Fury, the mysterious and charismatic director of S.H.I.E.L.D. – the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, the covert organisation that employed both Natasha and Clint and was responsible for the assembling of the Avengers. It was his interest that Carrie had piqued that night in Maine, just as much as the Avengers.

"I'm always ready, Director Fury." Carrie replied, with all the determination she could muster.

"_Good. Now, listen up._" Fury declared as another image appeared in front of Carrie. "_Terrorists have occupied Lower Manhattan. A group of Ten Rings extremists set off a series of bombs in Times Square, then followed it up with a blitz of machine-gun fire, killing 32 people and injuring more than 64. They have locked all residents inside their homes and laid siege to everywhere south of here. They've based themselves out of the Empire State Building. Their new leader, a man named Ali Al-Mustafa, controls the whole operation._"

Carrie gave the projection a glare of white-hot anger as the face of Al-Mustafa appeared on the screen. He was an Arab with brown skin, a messy beard and a cold look in his eyes that promised danger to all who crossed his path. Nick Fury then reappeared and resumed the briefing.

"_Al-Mustafa has demanded an end to American involvement in the conflict between Yemen and Saudi Arabia as the price for lifting the siege. This request will go unheeded because, as you know very well, the United States does not negotiate with terrorists. With this in mind, our sources have learnt that he has acquired a biological agent, and he intends to deliver and unleash it upon all of New York City. This will be done via a series of drones, which will release it from the air once over all the major New York boroughs – Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens_…"

Carrie felt her blood freeze. This madman was willing to kill and sicken the population of an entire city just for the sake of his political aims. She knew better than to place any blame for his actions on his race or religion – one of the things she had learned since coming into the world properly after leaving Maine was that anybody, at any place, at any time was capable of carrying out cruel and inhuman acts. She vowed that she would stop these terrorists from carrying out their evil plot, thinking of her new brother Peter, as well as her two new friends Alexis and Cat.

"Where are the Avengers, sir?" Carrie inquired.

"_Due to the terms of the Sokovia Accords, the United Nations does not recognise a group of non-powered humans as a threat worthy of their intervention."_ Fury replied with a dismissing scoff. "_However, there are certain loopholes I can use. Your task is to make your way from here to the Empire State. It may be a relatively short walk, but there will be men and booby-traps stationed along the way to test you. Once at the Empire State Building, you are to assist Romanoff and Barton in the apprehension of Al-Mustafa – by any means necessary. Do you understand me, Agent Stark?"_

"Yes, Director." Carrie vowed. With that, the communication ended. She then turned and faced south, where she saw the distinctive spike of the Empire State Building off in the distance.

_May God be with me._ Carrie prayed silently as she set off grimly in the direction of the famous building. _May God be with us all._

As she began to walk down Broadway with purpose, Carrie felt the ground began to shift beneath her feet. She fought to regain her balance as she saw the road before her slowly begin to crack and drop away, leaving a chasm in front of her. Summoning up her courage, she ran towards it and took a long, running jump and flew across it, using her hands to stabilise herself as she crashed down on the other side. Walking with more purpose after that moment, Carrie was more prepared for when the road started to shake a second time. Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, she repeated the process on a second hole in the road.

Continuing to walk with purpose towards the Empire State Building, Carrie took in the sights around her. Storefront windows were smashed, likely a byproduct of the civil unrest and looting that followed such a traumatic event. She could see graffiti sprayed over the walls, such as JOHN 3:16, THE END IS NEAR and JAMESON FOR PRESIDENT. Evidently, this had been done before the terrorists assumed control of large parts of the area.

Her thoughts were brought to a halt by the telltale _rat-tat-tat _of machine-gun fire.

Scrambling to take cover behind an overturned car, Carrie began to survey the situation. There were six armed men. All of them were dressed in combat fatigues and had their faces covered by masks. They each had an AR-15 assault rifle in their hands, and each scope was now focused on her. Carrie scooted her way around to the fear of the car. She then focused with all her might as she aimed a powerful telekinetic wave at the six men. As it sent all six flying through the air, she began to run, knowing that she would need to do more if she was to survive this.

Sure enough, the six gunmen got to their feet and resumed their pursuit.

Casting her eyes around her desperately, Carrie dove into a nearby bank. She hid under an ATM Machine as she saw the gunmen open fire on the windows in front of her. Eventually, a bullet pierced the glass and streaked towards Carrie. She threw up her hands in desperation and stopped the bullet inches from her head, leaving it suspended in the air. Looking above her, she got an idea. Letting the bullet fall to the ground harmlessly, Carrie turned her attention to the ATM above her.

Using the full-force of her powers and straining with all her might, Carrie had begun to winch the ATM out of its place in the wall. Eventually, she got to her feet, with her would-be hunters beholding the sight of Carrie Stark, filled with righteous anger and hatred, levitating a Capital One ATM.

"Here's your blood money!" Carrie yelled, sending the ATM flying in the direction of the gunmen. Now it was the terrorists' turn to take cover – all except one, however, who was crushed beneath the weight of the machine. As Carrie ran off, the machine began to pay out stacks of bills over the gunman's body.

Carrie continued to run down Broadway, with the remaining gunmen having since regained their bearings and following in hot pursuit. As she scanned the area, Carrie turned around and stopped a hail of bullets from reaching her. She was able to turn them around and reverse them towards their points of origin, forcing the gunmen to take shelter. As she ran, Carrie levitated more objects including a post-box and a parked car, and was able to use those to put two more gunmen down for the count. Eventually, she turned down West 34th Street and began to run towards the Empire State Building.

Suddenly, fire began to rain down on her from above. Taking cover beneath a bench, Carrie saw a large flamethrower sticking out of the side of a nearby building. She focused hard on the flamethrower and began to twist the metal object. Soon enough, the weapon was rendered useless. Carrie began running down the street, when she saw none other than Black Widow and Hawkeye, gun and quiver in hand respectively.

"You in a hurry, Carrie?" Hawkeye inquired with a mischievous tone in his voice.

"That obvious, huh?" Carrie quipped, breathing heavily as the approaching gunfire rounded the corner.

"Clint's going to cover us." Black Widow spoke in a business-like tone. "You got my six?"

"I've got yours if you've got mine." Carrie replied.

"Al-Mustafa's base is located on the top floor." Black Widow instructed, with every one of her more than 30 years as a intelligence operative shining through. "He intends to launch three drones from the top of the Empire State in approximately 30 minutes, each armed with a vial of a weaponised form of ebola. The vials are armed with a GPS chip, which will trigger the release of the agent once it is over each of the three major non-Manhattan boroughs – Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens. Your job is to be our trump card. Can you do that, Carrie?"

"I know I can." Carrie responded, feeling emboldened after her encounter with the group of gunmen.

"Good. Now, let's move." Black Widow commanded firmly as the three moved into action.

Black Widow and Carrie both sprinted towards the lobby of the Empire State Building. Hawkeye followed, shooting arrows at the three on-coming gunmen. He was eventually able to subdue the three gunmen by shooting them in the leg, causing them to drop their weapons. Now inside the building proper, Black Widow and Carrie had entered into stealth mode, taking great care to ensure every room was clear. Hawkeye followed, his bow fully loaded as he surveyed the premises.

"Clear." Black Widow called as she inspected a room.

"Clear." Carrie called as she inspected a small office.

"And clear." Hawkeye replied, as he surveyed a conference room. "This floor's clear."

All of a sudden, the trio noticed something that made them feel uneasy. That something was the floor lights on top of an elevator at the far end of the lobby. The elevator was coming down – and fast.

"We've got company." Black Widow announced, grimly. She then cocked her gun in anticipation.

"Get ready to be our trump-card, Carrie." Hawkeye instructed, placing an arrow in his bow. Carrie steeled herself and had her hands out the ready, prepared for what might follow. Eventually, the elevator let out a 'ping' sound and the doors opened. A sea of red dots illuminated the trio.

"TAKE COVER!" Hawkeye yelled as he, Black Widow and Carrie all dove behind an upturned couch for safety. Because what had emerged from the lift was a squadron of soldiers, their weapons all squarely trained on the three interlopers. A storm of bullets began to fill the room.

"We're outnumbered." Black Widow assessed as the cacophony raged behind them.

"And outgunned." Hawkeye continued, the reality of the situation began to dawn on them.

"But not outmatched." Carrie declared as she put hr focus squarely on the couch. Using all her strength, she levitated the couch into the air. With a wave of her hands, she sent the couch flying towards the mercenaries who were attacking them, scattering the crowd. The distraction enabled Black Widow to throw a flash grenade into the middle of the massed group of soldiers.

BOOM! Went the grenade, creating a flash of light and leaving the room clouded with smoke. And with that, the counterattack was on.

The Ten Rings may have held the clear numerical advantage, but that was only as effective so long as they could see who they were shooting at. With someone who possessed the sheer power of Carrie and someone who could operate in the shadows as efficiently and as ruthlessly as the Black Widow, the uncertain environment swung the advantage back in favour of the invading trio. Black Widow was able to use her wide range of martial arts moves and experience with close quarters combat to stem the tide of mercenaries. Hawkeye provided cover from the rear, easily mopping up around the fringes.

But the star of the show – and indeed, the trump card – turned out to be Carrie. The Ten Rings had clearly not planned for her, assuming that they would not have had to deal with the Avengers in light of their occupation not being deemed an appropriate threat under the Sokovia Accords. They backed the sheer manpower they possessed to be able to stop any non-powered resistance. But Carrie's sheer power had changed the game – something they were starting to pick up on.

"Foolish girl! You dare to stand against the might of the Ten Rings?" Sneered a mercenary as he advanced on Carrie.

"Against an evil organisation that would poison an entire city for the sake of a far-away war? Yes, I do dare." Carrie replied, steel in her voice.

"Then it shall be your doom!" The mercenary retorted, as he drew his knife. But, all of a sudden, he found himself not being able to control his own body as he found himself floating high in the air. He looked at the sheer focus in Carrie's eyes and came to the inescapable conclusion that she was somehow controlling him. His confidence faded away in that moment, to be replaced by absolute terror.

"Unhand me, you witch!" He yelled, as he felt his body being contorted into different shapes.

"How about no?" Carrie replied, coldly. Then, suddenly gaining a degree of cheerfulness that was questionable given the situation, she continued: "This is Stark Airways flight 243, non-stop to West 34th Street. My name is Carrie Stark, and I'll be your pilot today."

On these last words, she sent the mercenary flying with a massive blast of psychic energy, sending him screaming through the windows facing out onto West 34th Street. Satisfied with her work, Carrie turned around to see a soldier making a bee-line for Black Widow. Focusing hard, she sent out a telekinetic blast that sent him flying straight into the bar of a restaurant close by.

"Got your six." Carrie declared to Black Widow.

"And we've got yours." Hawkeye responded, targeting a soldier who had begun to aim his gun at Carrie. The arrow hit him in his right shoulder, putting him down.

"Time to go see the Wizard." Black Widow deadpanned as the trio got into the elevator to make the long climb to the.102nd floor, leaving behind the strewn bodies of the Ten Rings' mercenary army.

When they reached the 102nd floor, they emerged from the elevator. There, standing beside a telescope, looking out the window to the observatory was Ali Al-Mustafa, the new leader of the Ten Rings.

"So, it appears my army was no match for a washed-up spy, a deaf man and a teenage girl." Al-Mustafa declared, as he looked through the telescope at the streets of Manhattan below. "I suppose the old American saying is true – you really do get what you pay for."

"The jig's up, Ali!" Black Widow declared, pointing her gun at him. "Where's the virus?"

"Ah, the virus." Al-Mustafa declared. "No mention of how I'm doing, or how the family's doing, straight to the virus. But first, this must be that new daughter of Tony Stark I've read so much about."

"That's _Miss_ Stark to you, you evil jackass." Carrie sneered. _When did I begin to sound like Dad? _She thought to herself.

"Very well, _Miss _Stark." Al-Mustafa mimicked. "I have seen you in action here today. Not only are you the spitting image of your father, you are twice as annoying."

"Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment." Carrie retorted.

"Your power is a sight to behold." Al-Mustafa continued. "A gift from almighty Allah. Why do you use this power in defence of a nation that has always defied His will, and in defence of your adopted father, who happily bathed in the blood of his servants until his encounter with my predecessor pricked his conscience? Perhaps you should have a conversation with him sometime about the former nature of Stark Industries."

"I know all about what he has done in the past." Carrie replied. "And I forgive him."

"You forgive him, because he pulled you out of Hell itself." Al-Mustafa shot back. "It would not shock you to learn that perhaps those who have had to bury children murdered by cowards using Stark technology and weaponry do not quite have your capacity for forgiveness – ah yes, I almost forgot! The virus."

He continued: "Do you know how Ebola works, Carrie? It starts off just like a regular flu – fatigue, fever, a sore throat. Just give it a few days, and it will go away, you think. Then after about five to seven days, you will begin to suffer vomiting, diarrhoea and severe pain. You will also begin to cough and vomit up blood – these two things together will result in severe dehydration and blood loss. Your body, not having appropriate levels of blood for the heart to pump, will go into hypovolemic shock. As you lie there, in a coma, waiting for your death, you will be wishing you had stayed in that closet in Maine."

"You can't possibly be thinking of inflicting such a horrible thing on so many innocent people!" Carrie cried, desperately.

"Who said I was looking to do it on _all_ the people?" Al-Mustafa replied.

All three of Black Widow, Hawkeye and Carrie were struck with a mixture of confusion and realisation.

"But…But Fury said…" Carrie stammered.

"Faulty intel…" Black Widow whispered.

"A clever ruse, I must confess." Al-Mustafa admitted. "Originally, I had planned to lure young Carrie here to me by fabricating a hostage threat. But when I saw the two of you show up, I got a real bargain."

"So all that stuff about drones…" Hawkeye asked.

"Was a hoax." Al-Mustafa confirmed, as he held up a small vial. "This is the only vial of the Ebola virus I have in my possession. Normally, the virus becomes inert in the open air. However, this strain has been genetically modified to make it more deadly when airborne. Tony Stark caused the deaths of untold numbers of my people. I will gain my revenge by killing his daughter and two of his most-trusted operatives, and I will die a martyr for having done so!"

As he went to smash the vial containing the virus, Hawkeye shot him in the shoulder, causing al-Mustafa to roar in pain, but more importantly, to drop the vial. However, Carrie was able to snatch the vial mere metres from the ground using her telekinesis. She levitated it gently into the hands of the Black Widow, who then pocketed it.

"This is not the end!" Al-Mustafa yelled angrily, clutching his shoulder.

"No. For you, it's the end." Black Widow spoke up.

"But for Carrie here, it's just the beginning!" Hawkeye finished, clamping a hand on Carrie's shoulder.

The young telekinetic swelled with pride. She had just helped two Avengers stop a madman and his army, and had actually looked the part in doing so! As she silently thanked God for working through them to deliver New York City from the terrorist threat, her head began to spin with all the possibilities of what she could achieve going forward.

Or at least, it would have, had this been an actual mission.

For at that moment, the picture of accomplishment began to fade from Carrie's view, to be replaced by a stark silver chamber with a blue light shining within it. The preceding "mission" had actually been a simulation, conducted within the confines of the Xavier Institute's famed "Danger Room". The purpose of the Danger Room was to give up-and-coming mutants an opportunity to prepare for the inevitable peril they would experience on their journeys as superheroes in a relatively safe environment.

All of which is to say, there was no terror attack in Times Square, no threat of biological warfare, the Ten Rings had not been reformed, the Avengers were not hindered by the Sokovia Accords and there was no threat to Carrie's safety.

Still breathing heavily, she walked into a small antechamber and began to get dressed out of the blue and yellow training uniform she was wearing into her regular clothes. After she had done this, she was greeted by her instructor/evaluator James Logan Howlett a.k.a. the legendary mutant Wolverine.

"First of all, you made very good use of your surroundings on the first leg." Wolverine began. "LOVED that bit with the ATM – although you could have taken out a few more soldiers on that first leg and taken the pressure off your team at the start of the second leg. That said, the teamwork you displayed once you got inside was remarkable, and I think that more people should be thrown into hotel bars as a general rule. You showed some weakness when you learned about the bio weapon, opening the door for you to get hit with the bluff, but you recovered to make a good save with the vial at the end. Given you weren't actually working with anybody, I'd say this was your best solo outing in the Danger Room to date – you've always done better in a tag-team anyway."

"Thank you, sir." Carrie responded politely. Coming from the notoriously prickly mutant, this assessment felt like high praise.

'Hey, none of that "sir" crap in here!" Wolverine retorted. "It's either "Wolverine", "Logan", or "Mr. Howlett" if we're at a tea party. And I don't do tea parties. Bottom line: just gotta iron a few kinks out, and you'll be Avenging in no time, kid."

*** TWFAF ***

Later that day, Carrie was wandering through the stately interior of the X-Mansion. Suits of armour, vases of antiquity and bookshelves lined the walls, giving it the feel of a private school of old. Alongside her was a Chinese-American girl with black hair, wearing a yellow dress.

"So, how'd you do on your latest Danger Room run, Carrie?" The second girl asked.

"He thought it was my best solo run yet." Carrie noted. "Just have to work on some things, and I'll be there."

"You mean you don't need me or Kitty to hold your hand in there anymore? WOW!" The Chinese-American exclaimed. Sparks began to flow from her fingers. Carrie watched on in amazement as the girl twisted and manipulated the sparks, so that they eventually spelt out the word "CONGRATULATIONS".

"This calls for a celebration!" The girl then brought her hands together, causing the message to explode with a small bang. "Mind you, I probably would've done that even if you flunked out. Because I'm Jubilee, and with me, every day…"

"Is a celebration!" Carrie finished cheerfully, completing her friends oft-repeated catchphrase.

"You're goddamn right!" Jubilee exclaimed, enthusiastically. As they walked together, Carrie began to reflect on how they met. Jubilee was a rather diminutive mutant in terms of stature, but her ability to manipulate her "fireworks" enabled her to produce a rather large bang when in the mood, which would more than make up the size deficit. Carrie remembered the first time she saw this power on display.

**Carrie was sitting at a desk. In front of her sat an empty sheet of paper, on which she was to write a rather substantial essay on the rise of militarism in the late 19****th**** and early 20****th**** centuries. The latest topic she was learning about concerned how the complex system of political and military alliances in place in Europe during that time period ultimately led to the First World War. Trying to set her mind to Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Wilhelm, she did not seem to notice a small red butterfly fly past.**

**POP! The butterfly was gone within moments. Carrie shook her head and tried to concentrate. Three more butterflies floated around her.**

**POP! POP! POP! These went away to. Starting to get annoyed, Carrie turned around to see a figure in the doorway. It was a Chinese looking girl, and Carrie could see a dragon that looked as though it was made of sparks floating in front of her.**

**BOOM! The dragon exploded as the girl brought her hands together. The force of the blast was enough to create a small gust of wind that knocked Carrie off-balance.**

"**Oops. Didn't mean to disturb ya." The girl quipped, grinning. "Or maybe I did. Anyway, you remember me?"**

"**Yeah, I think I do." Carrie responded, dusting herself off. "You're the girl Yukio introduced me to the other day, Judy or something…"**

"**It's Jubilee." Came the reply. "Well, it's actually "Jubilation Lee", but only my parents called me that. Parents these days, I tell you." Jubilee's tone as she said this was a mixture of mischief with just a little bit of yearning. "What're you doing anyway?"**

"**Essay for history." Carrie replied, simply.**

"**Nah, that's boring." Jubilee stated. "Come spend the day with me. It'll be fun."**

"**But I need to do this-" Carrie's reply was cut short.**

"**It's due at the end of the month. I've got the same assignment." Interjected the spark-wielding mutant. "Besides, I always find I work better after I've done some goofing off. So, you in?"**

**Carrie paused for a moment. While it was true that the assignment was important to her, Jubilee was correct when she said she had plenty of time to do it. Plus, the aim of her new life in New York was to achieve a balance in her life that she had lacked. Taking a deep breath, she offered Jubilee a smile.**

"**Yeah, I'm in." She replied, offering her hand. "Carrie Stark, at your service."**

"**Stark? As in…" Jubilee wondered.**

"**Yeah. Adopted." Carrie replied. "Nothing sad, don't worry."**

"**So, what's your power?" Jubilee wondered. Her question was answered when she felt her body being lifted off the ground. She looked down and saw Carrie focusing intently on her. With a slight tilt of Carrie's head, Jubilee found herself upside down. She let out a yelp of shock as she found herself looking up at her own legs. Eventually, she found herself being returned to the ground.**

"**Yep. That'll get you in." Jubilee responded. "So, you trying out for the X-Men?"**

"**No, Avengers." Carrie responded. "I'm not a mutant – the telekinetic gene skips generations in my family."**

"**Pity." Jubilee responded. "You and I could've kicked some serious ass together, Carrie."**

**And that was how Carrie made her first friend at the Xavier Institute.**

As Carrie and Jubilee kept walking, they saw a young, slightly overweight boy with brown skin and black hair emerge from a classroom. This was Russell Collins a.k.a. Firefist, a young mutant that had been liberated from a prison-like orphanage for young mutants. Carrie felt a strong sense of sympathy and solidarity for the pyrokinetic, both due to her own experiences in Maine and trying to adapt to new circumstances – Firefist had been plucked out of his native New Zealand after the deaths of his parents.

"Hey Carrie, Jubilee! Sup?" The Kiwi asked.

"Oh, you know, the sun. Space. Interest rates." Jubilee replied, nonchalantly.

"Still not over the past fortnight, Russell?" Carrie asked, sympathetically.

"I'm over it, now." Firefist replied. "But that's the sort of thing you don't forget easily, you know?"

Carrie nodded as she remembered the drama that she and Firefist had shared in on that Sunday afternoon. Whilst doing some extra research, she had been caught up with Russell in watching the final of the Cricket World Cup between Russell's New Zealand and England. With New Zealand on the verge of winning, she felt that such a triumph would be a great moment for the Kiwi who had to endure a lot in his life so far. However, what followed was the stuff of either dreams or nightmares depending on who you supported as a bizarre series of circumstances came together to send the match to a sudden-death tiebreaker, which was itself a tie but served to give England the victory under an obscure rule. Whilst Carrie felt genuine excitement and eventually disappointment at the result – this was the first sporting event she had even partially watched – she knew it was nothing compared to what Russell felt.

"I'm sorry I jinxed it." Carrie offered.

"No, it's actually rather therapeutic." Russell replied. "Whenever I'm in the Danger Room, I just pretend that everything is that stupid Stokes. And his stupid bat. And his stupid face. Besides, I think I jinxed it when I mentioned the "C" word."

"What, you mean "choke?" Jubilee suggested. This caused a burst of flame to surge by the Chinese-American's right ear.

"WAAAH!" Jubilee screamed, as she and Carrie got on their way. "WE'RE FIRE SIBLINGS! I'M JUST TEASING!"

Once they had gotten on their way, Jubilee's expression grew concerned. "How is your new brother holding up?"

"Actually pretty well, given the circumstances." Carrie replied. "He's got me and his friends around him – it's nice."

"How was this last week?" Jubilee asked.

"I'm not going to lie – there were parts of it that were awful." Carrie stated, as she remembered Peter's horrific nightmare and his insecurity over Aunt May's status in the afterlife. "But all I could do is be there for him."

"I know you did wonderfully with him.' Jubilee stated with total sincerity. "I know this, because you did it with me."

Silence settled upon the pair as they further remembered the first day they got to know each other.

"**So, this is where I sleep, because I'm a boarder." Jubilee continued, showing Carrie around the X-Mansion. She had decorated her room with pictures of fireworks shows and various landmarks glowing dark at night. Carrie felt that this was appropriate given her ability.**

"…**but enough about me. What's your story?" The spark-slinger asked.**

**Carrie involuntarily stiffened at this question. She always dreaded the asking of this question. Even though it had gotten easier to discuss this topic, she still found it mortifying that she found the discussion of her bullying and mistreatment to be easy. But she sensed that she had a sympathetic ear in her new friend. And so she began to tell the story of her childhood in Maine. Jubilee reacted with sympathy and disgust to the story of the shower incident. But it was the revelation of the prayer closet that really set the Chinese-American off.**

"**THAT'S CHILD ABUSE!" Jubilee screamed as she jumped up, sparks radiating from her hands as her anger threatened to explode. "Your evil bitch of a mother and that Hackinson whore had better pray to whatever offspring of Satan they've aligned themselves with that I never meet them, otherwise I'll set off a little firefly inside both of their brains and they won't walk or talk right ever again!" She vented.**

"**Look, Jubilee, it's OK!" Carrie pleaded, hating to see her new friend upset because of her. "I'm safe with the Avengers. None of them can hurt me anymore. Please calm down!"**

"**Okay, I'm calming down." Jubilee promised, taking deep breaths. "Child abusers just really anger me, Carrie. Especially parental child abusers."**

"**Why? Were…were you abused as well?" Carrie whispered, dreading the answer. Was she about to hear another tale of woe similar to her own?**

"**No." Jubilee responded. "But strap yourself in for, in the ultimate irony, the actually rather sad story of Jubilation Lee of Beverly Hills, California."**

**So, Carrie listened to Jubilee's story. And it actually was rather sad. She had grown up as the daughter of immigrants in Beverly Hills, with a potential career as an Olympic gymnast in her sight. However, that was destroyed when her parents were brutally murdered and she was sent to an orphanage. Jubilee had started to cry when she recounted these events and Carrie had pulled her into herself, hugging her tight. After a moment, she resumed the story, detailing how she had to steal food from various outlets to survive. Carrie felt devastated and heartbroken that someone so young had to resort to such actions to live. This created a firm resolve in her to fight for the marginalised and the downtrodden on her superhero journey.**

**Jubilee had discovered her powers when they manifested in her stress from trying to escape mall security. She would use them to earn money by putting on popular – but unsanctioned – performances in the mall. She recalled how she was rescued from a group of mutant hunters by a quartet of X-Men and eventually followed them through a portal back to their base in Australia. Whilst hiding out in their base, she had noticed Wolverine being kidnapped. She told Carrie how she summoned up the courage to smuggle Wolverine away from his captors and help him recover from the effects of his torture. She finished by detailing how Wolverine and her battled against The Mandarin and the mysterious order of ninjas known as The Hand, which was her making as a superhero.**

"**You're so brave, Jubilee!" Carrie had exclaimed at the end of the story. **_**Note to self: never tell her that the Mandarin was actually just a drunk British proxy**_. **She added mentally.**

"**Which brings me back to why I'm so upset by what happened to you." Jubilee continued. "My parents, who were the most loving people one could ask for and who wouldn't say boo to a ghost, get mercilessly butchered, while someone like your mother or some sick molester gets to live until they're 90. I mean, why…?" The Chinese-American mutant dissolved into tears, clearly missing her parents and struggling with what had happened to them.**

**Carrie wrapped her arms around her first friend and drew her to herself, the latter's tears beginning to stain her T-shirt.**

"**It's so hard, Carrie!" Jubilee sobbed. "Apart from Wolvie and the Prof, nobody gives a shit about what happened to my parents! Everybody here just looks at me as someone who's going to be a powerful X-person someday and can't show weakness, but I'm really just a scared girl who misses her Mum and Dad!"**

"**You're not scared or weak at all." Carrie reassured.**

"**And how do you know that?" Jubilee retorted, as she grabbed a tissue to wipe her eyes.**

"**Because you're here, talking about it." Carrie declared, thinking of how Sue had begged for her forgiveness for the tampon incident whilst in the hospital recovering from the effects of the battle at the prom. "Real weakness is hiding those thoughts and pretending there's nothing wrong, until it all comes out in the worst possible way. Tell some of these teachers what you just told me. Or get Logan to tell them. They'll understand."**

"**You really think so?" Jubilee wondered.**

"**Absolutely." Carrie reassured with a smile on her face.**

"I'm just glad I was able to comfort and help you." Carrie stated as she finished her memory.

"Did you ever!" Jubilee responded. "I did exactly as you said when Emma Frost told me to "stop whining" over an ethics assignment. I told her exactly what I told you about how I was feeling. She actually apologised and _showed compassion_! Who'd have thunk it?"

Carrie couldn't help but chuckle as she thought of the stern but fair teacher, who in some ways reminded her of Rita Desjardin. Just then, a loud car-horn interrupted her train of thought. Looking out, she saw Happy sitting there in the limo waiting for her.

"Well, here's my ride! Gotta go, Jubilee! See you soon!" Carrie exclaimed as she ran towards the car.

"Bye Carrie!" Jubilee yelled back as the pair waved to each other. As Carrie was getting into the car, a third voice butted in.

"Congrats, Car…WAAAAUUGH!"

A young woman with chestnut-brown hair came speeding through the two walls either side of Jubilee and took an audible tumble in the next room. Jubilee peeked into the next room to see the mutant rubbing her head in annoyance. This young lady was Kitty Pryde, the third person in their little friendship trio. Evidently, she had been planning a little prank to celebrate Carrie's Danger Room run, but her abrupt departure caused that plan to backfire. Fortunately, Kitty's unique phasing ability left her with only a bruised ego.

"Hope you had a nice fall." Jubilee snickered.

"Shut up!" Kitty grumbled. "Where's Carrie?"

"Literally just missed her." Came Jubilee's reply.

"Damnit!" Kitty exclaimed. "I was going to surprise her by jumping her and phasing her through the floor!"

"Unless you want to see what the grounds look like from the top of the mansion, while upside down, bad idea." Jubilee noted sagely.

*** TWFAF ***

Two days later, Carrie was full of anticipation and excitement. It was Wednesday night, which meant it was going to be her first meeting of the youth group. Her two new friends, Alexis and Cat, were coming over to take her to the Bronx where the meeting was being held. They had promised to properly introduce her to her two acquaintances from St. Mary Of The Angels in TriBeCa – Brianna and Olivia. It was Carrie's deepest hope that this tenuous acquaintance would evolve into a friendship.

"So, Carrie." Tony spoke. "When are God's Fierce Lesbians coming over to take you to Jesus Club or whatever?"

"In about an hour." Carrie replied. "They'll take the train from Queens to get here. Two trains, actually, though ones a lot shorter than the other, if Cat's text is anything to go by."

"Well, if that's the case, they probably won't want to take a third and fourth train to the Bronx and back." Tony answered. "Happy can take you three there and back."

"Oh, I don't want to have him bother with us." Carrie protested, not wanting to impose a rather frivolous burden on the security expert.

"Nonsense!" Tony exclaimed. "I think he actually enjoyed stalking you three when you first met. Besides, I kind of promised him a lollipop for every time he takes you and your friends somewhere from now on. I was going to make it you OR your friends, but I didn't want him to die from diabetes." This caused Carrie to involuntarily giggle, as she remembered buying Happy's reward for putting up with her in church and following the trio of her, Alexis and Cat around Queens.

An hour later, F.R.I.D.A.Y's voice chimed through the apartment. "Sir, Miss Schumann and Miss Alvarez have arrived."

"Who? I'm not expecting any visits from accounting today-oh!" Tony exclaimed, remembering what Carrie had mentioned. "Send them up. Care-Bear! Your two friends/life partners are here!"

Sure enough, Alexis and Cat emerged from the elevator. Alexis' blonde hair ran more freely around her head now it was not tied up in a ponytail for church. She was wearing a green T-shirt and white shorts. Cat was wearing red shorts and a white T-shirt with the name of St. John's Academy printed on it. Carrie beamed as she emerged from her bedroom and saw her two friends.

"Cat! Alexis!" She exclaimed as she ran in to hug them. "I've missed you!"

"And we've missed you too, Carrie!" Cat exclaimed as she returned the hug.

"Good to see you again!" Alexis smiled as she and Carrie embraced one another.

"Lex, look." Cat whispered, in a tone of awe and reverence she reserved for church services. "It's freaking Tony Stark!"

"That's my name, don't wear it out." Tony declared smugly. "Autographs are $10, selfies are 20." His voice then took on a tone of seriousness. "In all seriousness, thanks for making Carrie feel welcome here in New York. She's been through a lot, and has difficulty trusting new people. So it's great that you managed to integrate her into your lives."

"It's the least we could do, Mr. Stark." Alexis replied in a voice full of sincerity.

"Plus, you two are so damn funny. Don't fill up on the archbishop…!" Tony dissolved into laughter as he recalled one of the jokes they told Carrie.

"Well, actually, it's the _cardinal _archbishop." Cat spoke up.

"ACTUALLY." Alexis interjected. "You were right the first time – we Catholics in Queens are actually tied to the Diocese of Brooklyn, as opposed to Carrie who usually attends Mass in Manhattan, which makes her a member of the Archdiocese of New York and under the authority of Cardinal McMahon. We don't answer to the Cardinal directly, even though we respect and acknowledge him as our metropolitan leader. And it wouldn't be St. Patrick's the priest would be getting snatched from – it would be our own cathedral in Brooklyn. And Brooklyn isn't an ARCHdiocese, so it would just be "Bishop." She finished, her strong academic background shining through.

"NOBODY LIKES A CORRECTER!" Cat sang in a teasing tone of voice. "Besides, you made that stupid tasteless Godzilla joke, not me, so it's you that's fucked up here! VICTORY IS MINE!"

Cat's celebratory rant was cut off by the touch of Alexis' lips to her own.

"Well, if that's how you're gonna get me to shut up, I'm staying quiet from now on." Cat giggled as she returned the kiss. The two girls laughed as they traded kisses for a few moments. Their expressions then turned from that of love struck teens to concerned friends.

"But enough about Lex's nerdery. How have you been this week, Carrie?" Cat wondered. "How was the funeral?"

"It was actually pretty nice." Carrie replied. "You were right – Father Stanley put on a wonderful service."

"Yeah, not to mention Carrie knocked them dead with that voice of hers." Tony supplied.

"She sang at the funeral?" Alexis asked, confused.

"Yeah! I'll show you." Tony affirmed. "F.R.I.D.A.Y? Access media…"

"No! Don't!" Carrie objected.

"Why not?" Tony asked. "I've got 18 years of parental embarrassment and flattery to make up for! Besides, you're being too modest – learn to accept when somebody praises you. Don't you want your friends to see what a beautiful soul you are?"

This gave Carrie pause for thought. Tony did have a point – Margaret had always taught her to be humble before God, one of several admirable traits she instilled, even though it was enforced in a manipulative, controlling manner. This oftentimes led her to deflect praise away from her, such as when she graduated high school. She figured that people were going to heap praise and attention on her eventually once she became a superhero, so she figured she should adjust to that reality. But she hated the idea of Alexis and Cat seeing her so vulnerable.

"Okay, they can see it." Carrie relented. "But it's nothing special, really."

"We'll be the judges of that." Cat declared simply.

"And now." Tony introduced. "For tonight's category of mourning song that will spark more allergies than a bee-hive and the New York Cat Show combined, this is Carrie Stark."

After giving F.R.I.D.A.Y the relevant commands, a projection appeared in the middle of the room. There was Carrie, wearing her funeral dress and her black hat of mourning, introducing herself and eventually singing _Abide With Me_. Tony, Carrie, Alexis, Cat and Peter, who had snuck his head out of his bedroom door, watched the performance. Tony and Peter felt wistful smiles cross their faces as they remembered the beautiful gift of solidarity and loyalty Carrie gave to him on that day. Carrie felt awkward that one of her most vulnerable moments

Alexis and Cat were experiencing a whole range of emotions. The first was utter amazement – they had no idea Carrie could sing like that. She certainly hadn't mentioned that particular talent to them! The second was pure admiration – they had a deep respect for Carrie for getting up there and finding the bravery to sing in such a public place. The third and prevailing emotion was sadness with a tinge of guilt. They remembered the ultimate reason why this was occurring – that Peter had lost someone very important to him, and that this was Carrie's expression of her mourning. They had only just made friends with Carrie that week, and decorum dictated that they should give her some space during the grieving process. But as they observed Carrie's puffy eyes, the conclusion was reached was that she had been crying quite a bit – even on the day in question. She was clearly doing it tough mentally – they felt that perhaps they should have given her a call or something to see how she was doing. Guilt twisted and turned in their stomachs.

By the end of the song, Alexis had her head bowed whilst Cat was biting her lip and holding back tears, trying desperately not to cry.

_Great._ Carrie thought bitterly. _Someone else is upset on my behalf_. Even though she realised that their reactions were borne out of genuine concern and empathy, she still felt she was not significant enough to waste tears on – perhaps a byproduct of her emotionally stunted childhood. Her train of thought was cut off by Cat barreling into her chest and hugging her tightly.

"We're so sorry we weren't there for you!" Cat cried, a small tear squeezing out of her right eye. "We should've called or texted or something!"

"Yeah, you clearly weren't feeling okay in that video." Alexis stated, with the slightest wobble in her voice. "We're sorry we couldn't get in touch, Carrie."

"You…you don't have to get upset for me." Peter spoke for the first time. "You don't even know me."

"And this must be Peter." Cat deduced, walking over to him and squeezing him in a tight hug. "It's nice to meet you. Lex and I are so sorry about your aunt."

"Too tight! Too tight!" Peter gasped, apparently not used to the strength the track athlete possessed.

"I'm standing right here, _Catalina._" Alexis announced, emphasising Cat's full name in a voice of mock displeasure. She then paused and narrowed her eyes. "Wait a sec…you go to Midtown in Queens, right?

"Yeah…" Peter asked, finally able to breathe after being freed from Cat's vice-like grip.

"I thought I recognised you!" Alexis exclaimed. "You were part of their academic decathlon team last year! We went up against you in the City Final."

"So you're the crazy smart blonde they had that kept St. John's in it!" Peter exclaimed. "I like you. You've got nerd cred."

"Nerd cred?" Alexis echoed, evidently amused.

"Yeah. That whole spiel you did about how the church works in New York was impressive. I didn't know that. Nerd cred." Peter finished, nodding his head.

"I'm standing right here, _Alexis_." Cat whispered, mimicking the blonde's earlier words.

"Anyway, you two shouldn't be upset." Carrie interjected. "I hate it when people cry because of me."

"Correction, you just made _Cat _cry." Alexis responded with a sly grin.

"You were hiding something too!" Cat shouted playfully.

"Then again, that's hardly an accomplishment." Alexis continued, tuning Cat's words out. "I thought she was going to flood my house when Drogon was nudging Dany during the _Game Of Thrones _finale."

At this statement, Cat picked up a cushion off the nearby couch and threw it as hard as she could at Alexis. "YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T TELL!" She shrieked. "Besides, I'd rather cry like a silly girl than spend the most emotional piece of TV this year calculating the exact temperature of the fire that melts the Iron Throne in Fahrenheit, Celsius and Kelvin!"

"And that's why you need a nerd like me." Alexis smiled. "To get you thinking about the deep things in life."

"And that's why you need a jock like me." Cat giggled. "To get you to loosen up every once in a while." The two then traded kisses on each other's foreheads.

"So…where are the other Avengers?" Alexis wondered.

"Well, the original Mr. Freeze and Roid-Rage Kermit are working on some modifications to his armour, Hagar the Horrible is off-world, the spider and William Tell come and go as they please and Cap's pals are all upstate, waiting to come off the bench. Well, except that one guy." Tony spoke, his voice containing a note of hostility which did not go unnoticed by Carrie.

"Oh." Cat replied simply. "Well, we had better get going."

"Happy will take you three in the limo." Tony offered. "Tell him where this place is, and he'll put it in the GPS."

"Limo!?" Cat squeaked in excitement. "We're going in style, girls!"

As soon as the trio departed, Carrie having strapped Ruby firmly to her wrist, Tony turned to initiate the Nanny-Cam Protocol, but Pepper stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"I want to see what they're gonna get up to this time!" Tony whined.

"They're going to a church meeting." Pepper replied. "How much trouble could there possibly be?"

*** TWFAF ***

As the limo made its' way up the edge of the Hudson River, conversation turned serious between the trio of girls.

"So…" Carrie began, awkwardly. "How-"

"-can we be members of the LGBTQ community and still be so strong in our faith?" Alexis enquired.

"Well, yeah…" Carrie answered, relieved that she didn't have to ask the difficult question.

"Well, It's like this, Carrie." Cat replied. "We believe that God is love, and that He will ultimately accept all whose hearts belong to Him. And having the Pope show his support to a gay man was a major boost to our confidence in that regard."

"The Pope supported a gay man?" Carrie asked, shocked. This was yet another manifestation of Carrie's sheltered childhood – there was no TV in her house, so she was isolated from all the goings-on in the world. One of the supreme leaders of the Christian world showing his love and care for a gay person sounded like it would be big news.

"Well, not publicly." Alexis cut in. "And the Vatican did their usual "we can neither confirm nor deny" routine. But it was picked up by media outlets all over the show. Basically, there was this Chilean man who went to see the Pope, along with several others. He had…" At this point, Alexis took a deep breath which was full of anxiety and sadness. "He and his companions had been molested by the same priest. The media in South America had used his being gay to make him look like a pervert and a liar. But the Pope stood up for him. He said that God loved him as he was, and so did he."

"Those priests are servants of the devil. Depraved freaks. May they all burn in Hell." Cat growled, not bothering to hide the anger and disgust she and Alexis felt for the abusive priest in question, as well as for all who would do such a thing.

Carrie felt her heart break as she took in the revelations. She remembered how she had first discovered the vast amount of sexual abuse cases involved in the Catholic Church. However, in the ultimate irony, her discovery of those shameful acts set off a chain of events that led to her being the happiest she had ever been.

It had its origins on the night when Carrie first arrived in New York, and Tony had taken her out to celebrate. She had heard a person sitting next to her make an off-colour remark about how a meek performance by the Knicks was akin to "a schoolboy lying down in the priest's office." When she returned from the meal, she couldn't help but google "priests + children" and discovered, to her absolute horror, the sheer number and scope of abuse cases by priests or other church workers. Whilst on the surface, the actual number of priests implicated was consistent with general crime statistics, the large number of victims some priests had, coupled with bishops rotating them around various parishes, magnified the injustice and depravity of it all. Carrie felt sick, disgusted and in despair about the whole affair, which caused her powers to flare up and make a mess of the bathroom.

In response to this, Steve, being the well-connected person that he was, roped in the Archbishop of New York, Cardinal McMahon, to give his view on why it happened. He expressed his opinion that a main contributing factor was the pedestal the church was placed on during the historical days of the abuse that made survivors feel as though they were speaking out against God himself. However, over time, various forces including amongst the faithful, had removed that pedestal which gave victims the freedom and courage to tell their stories. He then compared the vetting process for priests to that of hiring a sports coach, saying that accountability for hiring a bad coach/priest eventually fell on the GM/bishop. Cardinal McMahon accepted Carrie's criticism that the bishops of the day should have tried harder, but that ultimately there was nothing they could do about the past. The cardinal focused on the future, outlining the joint task force the Archdiocese and the NYPD had established to investigate clerical abuse, as well as the empathy and fellowship displayed by the Catholics of New York towards those brave souls, particularly among the youth. He reassured Carrie that should, God forbid, anything bad happen to her in a church, she would have his support as well as that of her fellow believers.

This statement spurred Carrie into courage, as she began to tell the cardinal about everything that had happened to her in Maine, from the earliest elementary teasing, all the way to the shower and beyond. Cardinal McMahon had expressed his sympathy and outrage over what had happened, in particular over Margaret White's treatment of her. He dissected and dismantled, in a cool and calm manner, her mother's demented ravings, saying that she had perverted church teaching and that, in his eyes, she was a heretic. This statement caused Tony no small amount of schadenfreude.

When it was revealed that Margaret had tried to kill her the night after she had got out of the hospital, she gave a demonstration of her power to the cardinal by lifting a table high in the air. At this point, she was dreading that His Eminence would declare her a witch, in the style of the inquisition. However, he had calmly asked her whether she was faithful and observant of the teachings of God. When she said yes, Cardinal McMahon had informed her that, as far as he was concerned, she was a beloved child of God and welcomed her to her new family of believers in the Archdiocese of New York. To Carrie's great joy, the cardinal prayed over her and gave his personal blessing to her new life in New York. The whole experience seemed to move Tony, who thanked Cardinal McMahon for trying to undo the damage done by Margaret and suggesting that Carrie receive a more balanced education about her faith. The cardinal agreed, and invited Carrie to attend his Sunday Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral as his personal guest. When Tony had expressed his concerns about the high visibility of the cathedral potentially making it – and Carrie – a target, Cardinal McMahon vowed to find an appropriate parish for her, but insisted on extending his personal welcome to the cathedral until such a time as that was possible. And so, it came to pass that St. Patrick's Cathedral became the place where Carrie learned how to walk with God in joy instead of fear. It would always hold a special place in her heart, and she vowed to visit it more often in spite of her Dad's protestations.

Three weeks later, the cardinal had returned with a priest in tow. This was Father Sean Wilkes, an Irishman who was the parish priest at St. Mary Of The Angels in TriBeCa, which served a very diverse congregation, including many immigrants to the city. Father Wilkes was very experienced at welcoming new people to the city. He had insisted on giving Carrie and Tony a tour of the church, which was a moderately sized Italian Renaissance building a short distance away from Ground Zero. Apart from the big window at the front of the church, what caught Carrie's attention was a sculpture of the Virgin Mary, revered by many Catholics as Queen Of The Angels surrounded by the three archangels – Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, standing as guardians over the faithful entering the church. Carrie instantly fell in love with the church. It felt inviting, was beautiful without ornate and, most importantly, made her feel safe.

Father Wilkes had gotten her to fill out a form, which officially made her a registered member of the parish. Later that day, Tony and Pepper revealed that they had bought Carrie some gifts, namely a new golden crucifix and Bible, as well as a rosary with beads made out of sterling silver. This had apparently been on the advice of Cardinal McMahon, who had advised them that her new spiritual life should be as distinct and different from her old life as possible. This had caused Carrie to embrace her new parents, calling them "Mum" and "Dad" for the first time. She would always remember the first time she attended Mass at St. Mary Of The Angels, where she noticed a statement in the church newsletter: "_Please welcome our new parishioner, Carrie Stark, and keep her in your prayers._" At the end of the service, she had shook hands with a large amount of people wishing her well, including Olivia and Brianna, who had first introduced themselves to her.

And to think all of this had come about after learning of the ultimate evil.

"Carrie? You there?" Alexis wondered.

"Yoo-hoo! Earth to Carrie!" Cat chirped, clapping her hands under Carrie's nose, causing Carrie to jerk out of her train of thought.

"Sorry." Carrie blushed. "I was…just remembering how I found out about the whole priest thing."

"It's a difficult, horrible thing to acknowledge." Alexis agreed. "Especially for someone who's grown up around priests their whole life. The only thing we can do is pray that our church leaders make wise decisions regarding this situation and give our support to survivors."

"For example, Eternal Pentecost – the youth group – does an annual charity drive every Christmas season for SNAP – the Survivor's Network Of Those Abused by Priests." Cat explained. "It might be a token gesture but it serves as our repudiation of that evil."

"That's nice." Carrie commented. A thought then came to her mind. "But isn't there like some sort of conflict of interest if the Archdiocese and the group have to go to court?"

"Ah! The sweet, sweet joys of non-affiliation!" Cat exclaimed. "No, Eternal Pentecost is not linked in any way to the Archdiocese. It's run as an off-shoot of the Christian Fellowship Of NYU. Which kind of makes it perfect for you, because there's a lot of young people from around the country who have come to New York to study as well."

"Okay, time for a happier topic." Carrie declared, a sentiment with which Cat and Alexis vocally agreed. "So, what are Brianna and Olivia like?"

"Brianna's really nice. She likes movies and ice-skating and has a passion for activism." Alexis explained. "Livy moved here from Italy with her family when she was three. She also has a real feisty competitive streak. She's not mean about it – in fact, she's really bubbly and joyful – but if you ever play against her or the teams she supports in anything, she takes it personally. She's a HUGE sports fan – in fact, she plays on Midtown High's soccer team. She's one of those people that wears her heart on her sleeve – you know exactly where you stand with her."

And so, the conversation rolled on as the limo rolled on towards the Bronx. As they crossed the Alexander Hamilton Bridge, Alexis and Cat promptly launched into a rendition of "Alexander Hamilton" from _Hamilton_, which caused Carrie to start laughing uncontrollably. Eventually, the limo arrived at the venue, the hall where the meeting would take place was located behind the church. The trio then exited the limo.

"See you in an hour and a half, Happy!" Carrie called as he walked towards the door.

"Happy?" Cat wondered, amused.

"His real name's Harold. He used to be a boxer." Carrie supplied.

The three girls entered the hall, where they saw the fine spread there had been put on for the meeting. There was a large amount of pizza boxes being stacked on top of the other, with plates and cups for drinks sitting nearby. On the right of the table was a standee advertising Eternal Pentecost, with the group's logo – a dove representing the Holy Spirit flying over the Empire State Building. The Empire State's famed lightning rod was on fire, to symbolise the passion for faith the group hoped to spread amongst its members.

"One of the perks of this place being right across the road from a Domino's." Alexis stated, as Carrie stated in surprise at the sheer volume of pizza. Her reverie was cut short as Alexis and Cat returned to her side, accompanied by a young African-American man wearing a NYU t-shirt, and by a blonde girl who was wearing a T-shirt bearing the group's logo.

"Andrew, Nikki." Cat introduced the pair. "This is Carrie, it's her first time here. Carrie, this is Andrew and Nikki. Well, her name's actually Nikita, but everybody calls her Nikki. They're our group leaders."

"Wow! Sup, Carrie?" Andrew greeted, offering his fist for a bump, which Carrie tentatively provided. "Yeah! Fist-bump!"

"Welcome to Eternal Pentecost!" Nikki exclaimed, pulling Carrie into a tight hug.

"So, what exactly do you guys do here?" Carrie wondered.

"Well, we go over the readings for the upcoming Sunday." Andrew answered. "Then we'll have a discussion about a deeper theme in those readings and how we can apply them to our lives. And after that we'll play some games!"

"So, grab some pizza and drink and make yourself comfy." Nikki suggested. "Because, based on what I've heard, you've got two people dying to talk to you."

Just at that very moment, a loud voice with a hint of an Italian accent butted in.

"Hey! We're over here! Yoo-hoo! Calexis!" Interrupted a girl with olive skin, hair that Carrie would describe as being on the short side of long, wearing shorts and a black-and-white jersey advertising Jeep. Carrie assumed that, based on the sponsorship, it had to be be some sort of sports jersey. More importantly, she recognised the voice when she spoke on the phone a fortnight ago. This was Olivia – one of two other girls Carrie hoped to make friends with.

"If we weren't on holy ground, I'd knock your head off for inventing that name, Livy!" Cat shouted back.

"Yeah, well, holy ground didn't exactly stop me from lighting your squad up like Rockefeller on Christmas Eve!" Olivia retorted, displaying the competitive streak that Alexis had told her about.

"You keep talking, and this pizza's gonna find a new home in your face!" Cat threatened.

"That's real big talk, coming from someone who hails from the borough of Met-iocrity!" Olivia teased, enjoying the banter between the two.

"We both go to school in that borough, Livy." Scolded Brianna, who was an African-American girl with dark curly hair, wearing track pants and a Public Enemy T-shirt.

"So? We both live in Manhattan, which ties us to the Yankees, which I thank God for everyday. Because I support a team that's actually _won_ things in my lifetime." Olivia sassed.

"And how'd the Yankees do against the Mets last year?" Cat teased. "Or this year? Oh, what was that? You couldn't beat us outright for the season both years?"

"Shut up." Olivia grumbled, knowing that she had no comeback to the hard stats, that the Yankees only went .500 (50-50 in terms of wins and losses) against their cross-town rivals over the previous two seasons. Both Olivia and Cat then dissolved into laughter and embraced one another, indicating that this was just good fun between friends.

"Hey there, girl! How's it going?" Brianna asked as she shook Carrie's hand.

"Some things could have been better, but overall, given the context, it's been pretty good." Carrie answered. Meanwhile, Olivia had finished greeting Cat and Alexis and had turned her attention to her acquaintance, who she hoped to make her friend.

"_Buona sera,_ Carrie!" Olivia beamed as she drew Carrie into a tight hug and proceeded to plant a kiss on each of her cheeks in the European style. While she was doing this, Carrie was able to get a closer look at Olivia's jersey. In the top right corner, there was an oval crest with black and white stripes down the middle. At the top of the crest was the word "JUVENTUS" in capital letters. At the bottom was a black crown above a shield depicting a white bull standing on its hind legs. On the opposite side of the jersey from the crest was a small shield with the colours of the Italian flag.

"Hey there, Olivia!" Carrie smiled, touched by the greeting. She had only the briefest of conversations with both her and Brianna on several occasions before Happy, doubtless acting on orders from an overprotective Tony, would blast the horn to get her to come to the limo. She was looking forward to using this opportunity to get to know both of them better as people. Based on the small sample she had seen of Olivia, she was going to be just as fun to be around as Alexis and Cat were.

"So, Carrie." Cat began. "This is Brianna Lawrence, Eternal Pentecost's very own ice princess. And this is Olivia De Rossi, who has a heart the size of this city, a mouth the size of this state, and a boot that kicks harder than Cobra Kai."

"So, what's Juventus?" Carrie asked, referencing the name of the team whose jersey Olivia was wearing.

"Oh boy, here we go. Get ready for the rant." Brianna groaned.

"You mean, you don't know the mighty Juventus? _I Bianconeri? _BLASPHEMY!" Olivia exclaimed. "How can you not know of one of the most famous sports teams in Europe, if not the world?"

"She's not a sports person, Livy." Cat stated, firmly. "We'll discuss this later."

"Juventus is an Italian soccer club, Carrie." Alexis informed, helpfully. "It's based out of Livy's birthplace of Turin. It means "the youth" because it was founded by university students in the city."

"It's not just your _regular _Italian soccer club." Olivia declared. "It's _the_ Italian soccer club. You've got to come around to my place to watch a game sometime, Carrie."

"Yes, and then you'll get to hear her big speech on their achievements." Brianna replied. An impish smile came over her face as she began to mimic Olivia's voice. "35 _Scudetti_."

"13 Coppa Italias." Alexis joined in.

"Eight Supercoppas." Cat continued.

"Eight titles in all European competition." Brianna followed up.

"And the biggest fan base of any Italian club throughout the world!" The trio chorused together, as if they knew Olivia's routine off by heart. Carrie couldn't help but laugh at the trio's antics.

"Sounds better when I say it." Olivia playfully huffed.

"How is Peter, Carrie? Livy and I have been praying for him." Brianna stated in concern. This caused Alexis, Cat and Olivia to bow their heads in respect and sorrow.

"Considering what he was like on the first night at my place, everything's actually going pretty well." Carrie responded, honestly. "Wait…how do you know Peter?"

"I don't _know_ him per se, but I've met him a couple of times with MJ." Brianna answered. "MJ is my partner in English class, and we're both into activism, protests, things like that."

"I don't know Peter personally, but I know of him." Olivia continued. "95% of the time, he's an outcast. But when the school needs that sweet, sweet grant money, suddenly he's a rockstar."

"I know the feeling." Carrie murmured, suddenly feeling vulnerable due to her memories of her childhood. Olivia, sensing her distress, put her hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay, Carrie!" Olivia comforted. "You may have been an outcast once, but you're among equals here in this group. You've got Lex and Cat, and now you've got Brianna and I. You'll never walk alone, to quote the song of another football club."

"Quite gracious of you to quote that particular club's song, considering what's gone on between Liverpool and Juventus in the past." Alexis noted.

As Carrie was just about to ask exactly what Alexis had meant by that statement, Andrew and Nikki came over to them.

"OK, everybody!" Andrew exclaimed in excitement. "Let's get this show on the road! Grab the hand of the person next to you – we'll have a quick prayer before we start." Carrie then took Brianna and Olivia's hands in her own, the former in her left and the latter in her right. The whole group, about 30 people in all, stood in a circle linking hands. Nikki took it upon herself to lead the prayer.

"God our Father, I ask that you bless this gathering here today. Help us to study your Word and how we can be salt and light to this world. Help us to understand your perfect plan for us, your imperfect vessels and help to make us perfect through your grace. Lead us to an understanding of what it means to follow the example of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Fill our hearts with the fire of the Holy Spirit, as you did with your Son's disciples. We ask this through Christ our Lord."

"Amen." The group chorused. As they took their seats, Andrew spoke again. "Well, it seems we have a first-timer here with us! Why don't you stand up here and introduce yourself?"

Carrie stood up, nervously. The last time she had stood up in front of a large group of people, a madman had invaded her prom. She cast her eyes around the expectant room.

"My…my name is Carrie Stark." She began.

"Hi, Carrie." The room murmured, as if they could sense her nervousness. Her four girls were the only ones to show any true enthusiasm.

"Oh, come on!" Nikki exclaimed. "Can't you see she's nervous? She'll never be confident to speak if she doesn't have your support. Now, try that again, Carrie, and we'll show you just how welcoming Eternal Pentecost can be!" She encouraged.

Feeling much more reassured now that she had the backing of a leader of the group, Carrie turned to face the gathering.

"My name is Carrie Stark." She declared in a much more confident tone.

"HI, CARRIE!" 29 voices chorused in genuine enthusiasm, even if masking a slight tone of shame over the earlier tepid greeting. If Tony was watching, he'd probably make some slight quip about how it sounded like an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

"What church do you go to?" A voice interrupted. Carrie looked up to see the voice belonged to a Hispanic man wearing matching Los Angeles Dodgers gear, including a white shirt with the team name in stylised print and a blue cap, bearing the franchise's distinct L.A. logo.

"St. Mary Of The Angels in TriBeCa." Carrie answered, smoothly.

"Hey, I just started going there as well!" The man exclaimed. "I just left Los Angeles to go and study at NYU. Luis Flores, at your service, _senorita_." He finished, bowing and kissing Carrie's hand, causing her to giggle and blush.

"Real smooth move, Luis. But you're not going to convert my girl to the Dodgers. She's gonna be a Yankee girl all the way, right Carrie?" Olivia laughed, slapping Carrie's back.

"National League as opposed to American League, every three years. No reason Carrie can't follow both teams." Luis shot back.

This discussion intrigued Carrie. Whilst she knew that the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers were both baseball teams, she had no idea what all this talk of different leagues and "every three years" meant. She knew the Dodgers were a part of the National League, as Peter had explained his memory of booing one of their players during a playoff series. However, judging from Luis' remarks, it was clear there was a significant difference between the two that would make it possible to retain a relationship with both teams. Plus, as evidenced by the banter Olivia was able to share with Cat and now Luis, it was clear baseball, as well as sports in general, were able to bring people together. Besides, Luis, based on his demeanour, seemed to remind her a lot of Tommy Ross and how he was the first jock to behave in a truly decent manner towards her. She saw a lot of herself in him, as a stranger in a new city. And he looked alright as well…

_No._ Carrie reprimanded. _You are not falling for a guy you just met right now._

Meanwhile, Andrew had interrupted Luis and Olivia's running mouth-duel over whose team was better.

"Luis! Livy! You can both do your epic _First Take_ rants another time. But that's not why we're here. So, let's get down to business!" He enthused, clapping his hands.

The focus on scripture that evening revolved around the theme of vanity. Ecclesiastes' famous "_Vanity Of vanities…all is vanity_." Verse put forward the idea that, from the perspective of a Christian, everything done without full faith and confidence in God was vanity. For example, if someone started up a charity drive to help the poor, without the biblical mandate to do so, it would just serve as an exercise in flattery and self-promotion. This also crossed over into the gospel passage, where Jesus told a parable of a rich man who had built larger barns in order to store his vast amount of crops. He believed he had it made, but God told him that he would die that very night, leaving him with nothing. The message there was twofold: You can't take your earthly possessions with you, so make sure you get plenty of heavenly credit in the bank, and that those who put confidence in their own skills without relying on God were foolish and vain.

This line of discussion made Carrie think of Tony. Although he had eased up somewhat on the overt displays of vanity over the years, there were still traces of it in that fast mouth of his. He had told her straight up about all the various one night stands he had over the years – putting the "playboy" in "genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist." Knowing that she placed a great value on fidelity and was iffy on lust in general, Tony assumed that she would struggle with these revelations. However, Carrie had surprised him by forgiving him, explaining that he didn't do anything to hurt her, and that she had seen for herself the improvements he had made with his marriage to Pepper. However, this reading was a stark (no pun intended) reminder that Tony still put all his trust in his own skills in innovation and his power as Iron Man instead of in God. Carrie prayed every day that Tony, Pepper and Peter would come to accept and know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, and that God would work in their hearts to make that possible.

She was broken out of her reverie by Nikki clapping her hands.

"Right! Now that the reading and discussion portion of the evening is done, let's have some fun!" She enthused.

"So, since we've had a couple of new members here, I think we should go with the ice-breaking session." Andrew decided. "Just to make them feel comfortable in the group, and we get to learn some things."

"What this is going to involve is: we'll split off into two groups – guys and girls. Each group will designate a Captain. The girls will interview Carrie, while the boys will interview Luis. Every group will have the same questions to ask. The question sheet will be passed around so everybody gets to ask a question." Nikki instructed.

"I call girls Captain!" Olivia exclaimed, her competitive edge showing.

"Of course you would." Cat joked.

Eventually, the question sheets were handed around. The fourteen other girls in the group sat in a circle, facing Carrie in the middle, who sat on a swivel chair to face them.

"Didn't quite expect we were going to play 20 questions." Carrie joked, masking her own nerves.

"Well, it's actually more like 15." Olivia replied, launching into her question. "So, Carrie, where do you live?"

"In Manhattan, near Broadway." Carrie answered.

"Where were you born?" Brianna asked.

"Chamberlain, Maine." Came the answer.

"When's your birthday?" Alexis inquired.

"February 10." Carrie replied.

"Where do you go to school?" Cat asked, as if she wanted to test how Carrie would answer, given she and Alexis were the only ones who knew the truth about her.

"Westchester Community College." Carrie smoothly dodged, remembering her cover story.

"How old are you now?" Nikki asked.

"Turned 18 this February." Was Carrie's reply.

"Hi, Carrie. I'm Danielle." Introduced a brunette who was wearing a Megadeth T-shirt. She also had spear tip-like earrings and a nose piercing. "What's your favourite type of music?"

"I'll listen to anything, but the artists I have most affinity with are Little Mix, Machine Gun Kelly, Aerosmith and AC/DC." Carrie replied. The wide range of artists quoted seemed to induce a nod of appreciation from Danielle.

"I'm Renee. What fictional family do you want to be a part of, Carrie?" Asked a blonde wearing a red Philadelphia Phillies shirt and a silver cross around her neck. On her head sat a green cap featuring an eagle in full cry – the symbol of the Philadelphia Eagles. On her left ring finger, she wore a large silver ring bearing the image of that same eagle with a trophy in the background. The words "WORLD CHAMPIONS" were on the top and bottom of the ring.

"The Marshes, from _South Park_." Came the answer. Carrie had been shown the crude (in every sense of the term) animated series when she first arrived in New York, as part of Tony's effort to introduce her to modern pop culture. She often found herself struggling to breathe with laughter at the sheer audacity of the show to make jokes one would usually not make in polite society. She had found herself sympathising with both Stan and Randy Marsh, the father and son duo from the show. Stan, along with his best friend Kyle, often found themselves as the moral centre of the show (if such shows could be deemed to have morality in them), expressing the voice of sanity amidst the carnage. And Randy Marsh, for all the boorish, idiotic and offensive behaviour he usually found himself involved in, had repeatedly shown that he was a good father who had the best interests of his kids at heart.

It was a startling testament as to how much Margaret White had failed as a parent, that Carrie considered a fictional character who once led a conspiracy movement involving the Easter Bunny, shot an innocent homeless man in the head Walking Dead style, failed miserably at Guitar Hero, made it his own personal mission to be kicked out of every baseball stadium he visited and used a racial slur on national television in an attempt to win _Wheel of Fortune_ to be a better parental role model than her.

"Wow. That's surprising." Renee blinked.

"I'm sorry! I thought this was America!" Carrie joked, referencing one of Randy's most famous lines. This caused Renee, as well as several others as if by chain reaction, to burst into laughter.

"I seriously thought I was the only _South Park_ fan here!" Renee beamed. "I like you, Carrie!"

Carrie couldn't help but return the smile. She had just made another friend! _Must be Dad's winning personality_. This socialising thing – piece of cake!

"Hi there, Carrie. I'm Carmen – I actually go to St. John's Academy with Lex and Cat." Spoke a brown-skinned girl wearing a red T-shirt. "So – what's your favourite conspiracy theory?"

"That Deflategate was a conspiracy between John Harbaugh and Jerry Jones to screw over Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft." Carrie intoned, remembering how she had sat with Tommy Ross one day and asked him about it when she had heard the title of the saga on TV. According to him, Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots NFL team, had been suspended by the league for allegedly ordering his game balls to be deflated, making them easier for him to grip. Tommy put it out there that the balls had naturally become lighter due to the wet, cold atmosphere on the night in question. He further asserted that the investigation had come about because of a tip from John Harbaugh, the coach of the Baltimore Ravens, who had been embarrassed when the Patriots coach Bill Belichick had run a creative play that was on the boundary of legality to help beat Baltimore the previous week. He capped the grandiose theory by stating that Jerry Jones, the infamous and powerful owner of the Dallas Cowboys, had lobbied behind the scenes for Brady's suspension as revenge against the Patriots owner Robert Kraft, for pursuing heavy sanctions against the Cowboys over a violation of the salary cap.

"Oh please! The Second Circuit saw through that bullshit, and Tommy Boy was grounded for four games." Olivia butted in. "He still got his Super Bowl anyway – thank you very much, Atlanta."

"Yeah, but my Eagles Philly-Special'd him and his team into the gutter. Which meant I was able to buy this replica Super Bowl ring!" Renee boasted, showing off her ring.

"Fuck you and your battery throwing, poop eating, Santa booing comrades, Renee!" Olivia teased.

"Enjoy watching the Giants without Odell, Livy!" Renee bantered back. Eventually the two girls started laughing and embraced each other, a sign of their strong friendship despite the intense rivalry between the two cities of Philadelphia and New York. "Oh, this is just American sports banter. Don't worry about it, Carmen. Besides, we both agree on one thing…"

"FUCK THE COWBOYS!" Both Olivia and Renee chorused, as they rejoiced in the mocking of their common foe in Dallas.

"Oh. I'm not up on American sports – I'm from Chile. Exchange student." Carmen responded.

"Keeping the line moving." Interjected a red-haired girl with a hint of a European accent – Spanish? Dutch? She was wearing an orange dress. "My name's Sophie. What's one thing people don't know about you, Carrie?"

"That I was the victim in a nationally publicised bullying scandal." Carrie answered, almost without realising it. Such was the welcome offered by this group, she felt safe and able to tell them anything. "My name was kept out of the media due to my age at the time."

An awkward silence stretched over the group. Looks of disbelief and sadness were exchanged. Before anyone could ask the logical next question, the next questioner stepped forward.

"Hey Carrie, I'm Ashley." Declared a brunette wearing a red hockey sweater with blue trim. In the centre of the sweater was the famous red C/white H logo of the Montreal Canadiens. "On a happier note, what's your favourite vacation spot?"

"Nowhere. I wasn't allowed to go on vacation." Carrie answered, truthfully.

More looks of concern swept around amongst the group. First Carrie had declared that she had been bullied – to the point of it becoming a national scandal. Then she had told them that she wasn't allowed to go anywhere on vacation. Putting these two factors together, many members of the group were starting to paint a very horrifying picture of Carrie's home life in their heads.

Hoping to get back on a happier topic, the next question was asked.

"Carrie, where and when would you go if you were a time-traveler for one day? By the way, I'm Monica." Asked an African-American girl wearing a brown jacket with frizzy hair.

"To the birth of Jesus." Carrie answered, sincerely. This response not only bought a genuine smile to some of the onlookers, it also stopped the flow of negative answers from Carrie.

"Hi, I'm Sarah." Introduced a blonde in a powder-blue T-shirt. She had an English accent. "What's the funniest thing you've ever said, Carrie?"

"I called someone an evil jackass." Carrie answered, a hint of a smile creeping at her lips.

"So, Carrie, tell us your favourite joke. From Rebecca." Asked a blonde with a blue streak in her hair. A cheeky smile spread across Carrie's face as she opened her mouth.

"PG-13!" Nikki warned.

"Relax, this joke's fine. I promise." Carrie responded as she launched into a long joke Bruce had told her once.

"A frog goes into the bank and approaches the teller. He can see from her nameplate that her name is Patricia Whack. He says to her: "Miss Whack, I'd like to get a $30,000 loan to take a vacation." Patty looks at the frog in disbelief and asks for his name. The frog says his name is Kermit Jagger, son of Mick Jagger, and that it's okay because he knows the bank manager. Patty explains that he will need to secure the loan with some collateral. The frog says "Sure, I have this." And he produces a tiny porcelain elephant about half an inch tall – bright pink and perfectly formed. Patty is very confused and says she needs to speak to the manager. So she goes and finds the manager. She says: "There's a frog named Kermit Jagger out there who says he knows you. He wants a $30,000 loan and put this up as collateral." And so she shows him the elephant. The manager looks right at her and says: "It's a Knick-knack, Patty Whack! Give the frog a loan! His old man's a Rolling Stone!"

After a few seconds, Carrie wasn't sure whether the joke had landed. Then, a series of smirks and guffaws began to break out amongst the group. Soon, everyone was in full-on laughter.

"Knick knack, Patty wha…Patricia!" Cat exclaimed, laughing into her hands.

"Kermit Jagger? _Hilarious_! I demand a Kermit The Frog Rolling Stones cover!" Renee giggled, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Where'd you get that anyway, Carrie?" Danielle asked, fighting back the last remnants of laughter.

"From a family friend. He says he heard it on the radio in Australia one time." Carrie replied.

"What sports are you interested in, Carrie? I'm Julia." Asked a brown-haired girl with a yellow T-shirt.

"Nine yet, but based on what I've heard from Olivia and Renee, I'm really interested to learn about baseball, football and soccer." Carrie responded.

"Which brings it back to me for the last question." Olivia declared. "Where do you see yourself in 20 years?"

"Using my position in the community to do philanthropy and help the poor." Carrie spoke, firmly.

And with that, the questioning came to an end. The members of the group, one by one, shook hands with her and welcomed her to Eternal Pentecost. Carrie was overjoyed to be receiving all this appreciation. She had gone into the evening thinking it would be a good thing if she could secure Brianna and Olivia as friends. Now, it seemed like she was about to get at least double that. It looked to Carrie as if God was finally smiling on her. After some notices and a brief prayer, the meeting was at an end.

As Carrie was putting her bible and phone away in her bag, she was approached by Nikki.

"Carrie? Do you have a minute?" She asked.

"Sure." Carrie answered.

"You said some things during the Q&A that were of deep concern to me, as well as the other girls in the group." Nikki stated. "Have you seen a counsellor?"

"Yes, I have." Carrie answered, truthfully. "It's been a big help."

"Well, that's good." Nikki smiled. "Because Alexis and Cat are really concerned about you – they actually contacted me and indicated things had been difficult with your family. Are you being abused, Carrie? Because if you are, I have to report it."

"You can't report what's been resolved." Carrie stated, simply. This caused Nikki to emit a noise of sympathy. "And I was – but not any more. Not here in New York."

"You know, if you ever need to discuss anything, you can talk to me or Andrew." Nikki offered.

"Or any of us." Renee offered.

Carrie looked up, and what she saw moved her. There were her girls – Alexis, Cat, Olivia and Brianna, as well as Renee, Danielle, Carmen, Ashley, Sophie, Monica, Sarah, Rebecca and Julia. Not one of them had left. They were all concerned and worried for _her_, a little insignificant girl from Maine. The thought bought tears to her eyes. As if sensing this, Danielle, Renee and Ashley surrounded her and hugged her.

"Please don't cry, Carrie!" Renee begged. "You're as good as my sister now, and it hurts me to see you upset."

"But you're such happy, confident big city girls and here you are, worrying about little old insignificant me." Carrie whispered.

"Hey, now, none of that!" Ashley urged. "Let me tell you something, Carrie: _We're not just equals here. In fact, we're family. And family stands together. Always_." The hockey fan spoke this last part in French.

"Yeah, not to mention the fact that a tomboy who listens to Swedish death metal and a former cheerleader studying at a blue-chip university are _totally_ alike." Danielle declared, with a hint of sarcasm, indicating herself and Renee. "The point is, we're all in this together, regardless of our differences."

"So, you wanna talk about it?" Renee asked.

Carrie's eyes swooped around the room. Without exception, the expressions on the faces of all present were those of love, support and concern. She took a long, shuddering breath and began her story.

"Lex and Cat already know this story. Now it's your turn. It all started after my _ex_-mother took me out of elementary school. There was some big legal thing with the State of Maine after about four or five years, and eventually she was forced to send me to a state school called Ewen High School. Margaret was…well, insane, to put it mildly. She would say all sorts of crazy extremist stuff to people. The kids at school didn't like it, and they took it out on me. The ringleaders were this group of girls called the Ultras."

"Cowards, targeting an innocent girl for the sins of her mother." Brianna spat. Olivia, however, was unimpressed for a different – and rather on-brand – reason.

"Ultras? Pffft!" She scoffed. "I'd like to see them come to Italy and try to get away with calling themselves THAT – surefire way to lose some teeth!"

"So anyway, this went on for a while. They called me freak, crazy, creepy – all kinds of horrible things. Eventually, this hit an all-time low in what I like to call "the shower incident."

"Is Livy gonna have to choke a bitch?" Olivia asked.

"So, anyway, we were all in the shower after playing a game of water-polo. I had accidentally hit my teammate in the ear with the ball, which caused everyone to laugh at me. I go to dry myself off, but I see there's…blood on my hand. I…I had gotten my first period in the shower." Carrie's face flushed red at the memory.

"With all due respect, Carrie, I fail to see the issue." Ashley offered.

"Oh don't worry, you'll find out the issue soon. Hint: crazy extremist mum!" Cat spoke up from the other side of the room.

"So anyway, I had no idea what this was – Margaret had always said that sex education was the devil's work. I was terrified. I ran around to the other girls and begged them for help. One of the girls seemed to click as to what was going on. She tossed me a tampon and told me to "plug it up." Here's the thing – if I didn't know what a period was, I'm certainly _not _going to know what a tampon is. This just made me more frightened. This seemed to set the whole room off. One by one, they just kept throwing tampons at me while I was just crying on the floor. I think one of them may have even filmed it! It was so humiliating!" Carrie finished, tearing up.

Alexis and Cat came to join Danielle, Ashley and Renee in comforting her. Carrie cast her eyes across the rest of the group. Nikki, Carmen, Sophie and Monica all wore looks of the utmost sadness whilst Sarah, Rebecca, Julia, Brianna and Olivia all looked set to kill. However, Olivia's head was bowed, almost as if there was a second emotion at play. Was that…was that shame Carrie felt radiating off her?

Eventually, Renee spoke, breaking the long period of silence.

"Well then." She spoke, her jaw clenched in anger. "That is the most classless and disgusting thing I've ever heard anyone do. And I grew up in Philadelphia, where "classless and disgusting" is essentially the city motto. I'm so sorry and pissed off you had to endure that, Carrie."

"Oh, it gets better. And by better, I mean worse." Alexis responded, causing the nerves of everyone in the room to rise significantly.

Carrie wiped the small amount of tears that were in her eyes before pressing on.

"The gym teacher managed to stop the whole thing, and later Margaret came to pick me up. When we got inside she started banging her head on the wall talking about how I was lost. Then she started talking about Eve's sin of intercourse and the curse of blood. All this stuff that wasn't even in the Bible. Then she said that God could smell my sin. She smacked me with her Bible and tried to drag me into my bedroom. She…she locked me in a closet and made me pray for forgiveness for something that wasn't a sin!"

At this, the whole room erupted in shock and anger. But the three loudest and angriest voices belonged to her three newest protectors.

"THOSE FUCKING BITCHES!" Renee screamed. "Both your bullies and your whore mother! Who the fuck do they think they are!? Motherfuckers!"

"Renee! Language!" Nikki scolded, as if to remind the Philadelphia native that she was on church property."I give you and Livy a certain leeway in regards to discussing sports, because of how invested you both are in your teams and your rather competitive friendship. But that was just a directly abusive comment."

"Well, I'm sorry Nikki, but those are the only appropriate words I can think of for a group of people who would happily inflict such indignity on poor Carrie! Bullies and child abusers!" Renee fumed.

"Yeah, I don't mind using the devil's words to discuss the devil's business." Ashley spoke, coldly.

"Not to mention using a Bible in that disgraceful manner. There's a reason Korn made that song "Hypocrites." And that's exactly the term I'd use to describe your "mother", Carrie." Danielle seethed.

"You've always taught us not to worry about offending people if we're doing the right thing. This is one of those times." Renee declared, passion in her voice.

"It wasn't just a one-time thing either. She would put me in there for anything she considered a sin – talking to a boy for too long. Not praying enough. And that's not all she'd do. She would sometimes whip me to simulate the scourging of Christ or burn me with a poker to prepare me for the fires of hell. This had gone on ever since I was ten." Carrie wobbled.

"Since you were _ten!?_" Ashley exclaimed in horror.

"Holy shit!" Brianna shouted. "She whipped you?"

Once again, Renee saw red.

"THAT'S IT! I'M GONNA GO GET SOME OF MY GIRLS FROM PHILLY, AND WE'LL GET SOME BROTHERLY REVENGE ON THAT MISERABLE TOWN!" The Pennsylvanian vented.

"Don't you dare leave me out of this!" Danielle shouted in anger.

"Way to live down to the stereotype, Renee." Cat deadpanned. "What, you and your girls gonna throw some batteries at the nuthouse? And then search for a cheese steak while having a bitch about Ben Simmons' jump shot?"

"She can't hurt me anymore, Renee. None of them can. I like that you're standing up for me, but please calm down. You're not doing anybody any good!" Carrie pleaded.

"Okay. I'm calm…I'm calming down." Renee breathed, inhaling and exhaling deeply.

"The Avengers were actually responsible for getting me out. Someone who had hijacked one of Iron Man's suits of armour actually attacked my prom. I got injured during the fight, and they came to check on me at the hospital. I told them about what had happened, and they managed to stop Margaret and get her committed. Tony Stark offered for me to come to live with him after I finished high school. The ringleader of the Ultras got arrested for endangering public safety due to a prank she planned to pull on me, which bought the whole bullying thing to light. She was also charged as being an accessory to animal cruelty, which put her behind bars for quite a bit. I worked hard to graduate high school, and now I'm here."

Carrie soon found herself being crushed by a sea of arms as they circled and formed a protective barrier around her. She was showered with kisses and affection, as well as promises of protection and solidarity from all involved. She was one of them now, which made her a sister in faith. And family always stood together. The scene was enough to move Carrie to tears.

Conspicuous by her absence from this touching moment, however, was Olivia.

This was because she was standing with her back to the group. Her head was bowed and her shoulders were shaking. From the rear view, Carrie could see she had a hand near her face. She didn't need to see Olivia's face to know she was crying. Alexis realised this and turned to her.

"Oh, Livy, come on. Carrie doesn't like it when people cry because of her." She remarked, remembering her early reaction to Carrie's hard time following the death of her aunt. Olivia then turned to face Carrie, her cheeks stained with tears.

"I'm not crying because of you, Carrie." She spoke, her voice carrying a distinct quiver. "I'm crying because of the horrible things that were done TO you…and for my own small role in it. I should've said something! I should've fucking _done _something!"

This statement caused Carrie to freeze up. Olivia not only had known about her situation, but had been in a position to do something about it? Due to her obvious distress, she clearly felt that her inaction, for whatever reason, made her complicit in all that had gone on.

"I'm not following here." Cat declared.

"So, last year, my school's soccer team went to Maine to play in a tournament in Portland. In order to acclimatise to the state, they had negotiated with a high school to hold a training camp at the school, as well as a scrimmage against the school's JV squad. This school was Ewen High School in Chamberlain." Olivia began.

Carrie was stunned. Olivia had actually been on Ewen High School property when she was being tormented? Olivia ploughed on.

"So we get to the school and begin our training camp. So far, so good. One day, after finishing practice, we head over to the gym to get changed, only to find out the girls' locker room was closed. The janitor who was there said – and I'll quote him directly – some silly bitch freaked out over her period and got blood everywhere. As a result, we had to get changed in a side room. Later that day, I met the girl with whom I would be billeted for the camp. She was some rich bitch with a big-shot lawyer dad. Her name was something Scandinavian – like Andersen or Martinsen or-"

"Hargensen?" Carrie asked, warily, cutting off Olivia.

"Yeah, that's it. So anyway, she had her BFF and her boyfriend over – he was one of those bad boy rebel types, but that's besides the point. She said she had the funniest thing in the world to show me. So she showed me…" Here, Olivia took a shaky breath. She was clearly struggling with what she was about to say. "She showed me the video. Of you. And…and…God and all the saints forgive me, I _laughed!_" She finished, as tears sprung to her eyes.

Carrie felt like she had been kicked in the stomach. This bubbly, feisty girl that had welcomed her into her church and life had actually laughed at her pain and humiliation. Evidently, the other girls of Eternal Pentecost felt that way as well, as they exploded in response.

"You laughed at that horrible video?!" Cat exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's not like you." Brianna remarked, a clear note of disappointment in her voice.

"What the actual fuck, Livy?" Renee challenged, angrily.

"I only had her side of the story!" Olivia protested. "She made it sound like Carrie was part of some crazy Waco-like cult that cut itself off from the world. She said that they were trying to help you, but that it veered into hazing. Not to mention the only indignity that I've suffered in regards to tampons is actually having to go to CVS to buy the damn things! My parents are old-school Catholics who still remember the Latin Mass, and they still taught me about that kind of stuff! All I saw in that video, in that context, was a teenage girl who was scared of fucking paper!"

"Continue." Nikki instructed, in a neutral tone.

"So, she announces that she's going to put it on YouTube. And that's where my conscience starts to speak up, screaming at me to do something. But the other side of me held me back, saying that I would get arrested, suspended or expelled if I attacked the daughter of a powerful lawyer. Not to mention that it was three on one. So I did nothing. Like a coward." Olivia spoke, disgusted with herself and her behaviour.

"Did you at least have remorse when you found out what that girl had done?" Danielle inquired.

"Of course I did!" Olivia exclaimed. "I delighted in the suffering of another! But, as Carrie said, her name was kept out of the media. I rationalised it to myself by thinking I would never meet her. After all, a broken, traumatised, isolated girl and The City That Never Sleeps? Bad matchup. I didn't even begin to make the connection until she mentioned being involved in a scandal. And the story she told confirmed it. Now that I've met her, and found out what a wonderful, smart, funny person she is, as well as what she endured at home, I think back to my behaviour that day and it makes me absolutely sick! I'm so sorry! I made a terrible mistake! Please forgive me, Carrie!" She begged, now fully in tears.

Cat knelt down in front of the hysterical Piedmont native, so that she was looking right in her eyes.

"Olivia." She spoke firmly. This caused Olivia to gulp – anytime any of the group called her by her birth name instead of the colloquialism "Livy", she knew it was a very serious matter indeed. Ignoring this, Cat pushed on.

"We are going to tell you what we think about this whole situation. It is of absolutely vital importance that you do not misinterpret or misconstrue anything that we say to you about this." She declared. "What you did, in that moment, was a shitty thing to do. But it was an _especially_ shitty thing to do to Carrie."

"Yeah." Alexis spoke up. "What vulnerable people like Carrie need when they're going through something like that is love and support, not ridicule."

"Regardless of your own incredulity over her situation, you should have noticed by her face that something was up." Brianna added. "I genuinely thought you were better than that."

"And as for the question of the video's distribution, you just admitted yourself that it was moral cowardice, so I'm glad you recognised that." Nikki stated.

"You told us once that the saint's name you took at Confirmation was "Frances" in honour of St. Frances Cabrini, the patron saint of immigrants." Ashley mused. "In a sense, Carrie was an immigrant in her own country. Taking on a Saint's name challenges you to live your life following their example. Do you think you were being welcoming or empathetic when you laughed at that video?"

"No." Olivia whispered, a distinct note of shame in her voice.

"And as for not doing anything about the video, not only was it cowardice, but you preserving your own skin and status was selfish, and to bring it back to today's scripture lesson, was a form of vanity." Danielle spoke up.

"And that's to say nothing of the golden rule. What if it was one of us?" Renee asked, gently, in a marked contrast to her earlier defence of Carrie. "Or what if, God forbid, it was Maria?"

"Maria's her little sister." Alexis explained to Carrie. This served to explain, then, why this particular question set Olivia off, as she started bawling. The idea of such a thing happening to her sibling was too horrible to bear, and served to reinforce her own moral failings. Slowly but surely, Alexis, Cat, Brianna and the rest took her in their arms and helped her to her feet, where she had slid down against a wall and put her head in her hands.

Unbeknownst to Carrie, the youth of Eternal Pentecost had a process they all went through whenever one of them wronged another. First, they would firmly call out and reprimand the individual involved, letting them know how what they did was wrong and correcting them. Afterwards, they would embrace the person concerned and remind the person that they were still a beloved child of God in spite of their failings. They would do this by listing off the positive attributes of a person, reminding them of the good they did in the world.

In other words, break them down, then build them back up.

Now that the reprimand and correction were finished, it was time for healing and reconciliation to begin.

"Despite all that, we know that you were tricked, and that behaviour was not truly you." Alexis comforted. "Because we have seen your true heart, Livy. And it is beautiful."

"It was that heart that made you clap with glee when you found out about our relationship, despite the fact that you come from a more conservative family." Cat continued.

"And it was that heart that pulled you away from a Juventus-Lazio game to come cry and pray with me the day my brother died." Brianna reassured.

"And it was that heart that made you so welcoming and accommodating to all our newcomers." Nikki offered.

"Whether they're from Philly…" Renee offered.

"Or Montreal…" Ashley spoke up.

"Or Santiago…" Carmen butted in.

"Or St. Louis…" added Rebecca.

"Or Manchester…" Sarah followed up.

"Or even right here in New York." Danielle finished.

"And you're always front and center in all of our charitable initiatives." Cat added. "There's a reason I told Carrie that you had a heart the size of this city."

"And if it was any of us you had wronged, we'd forgive you." Alexis finished. "But it's not up to us. It's up to Carrie."

At this point, the entire group turned to face Carrie. Unbeknownst to them, throughout the entire conversation, she had been mentally evaluating Olivia and her claims. Under the tutelage of the X-Men, she had learned a skill that would prove to be very important in her career as a superhero. That skill was to look at a situation from multiple perspectives, to see if there could be a different way of looking at things.

First, she focused on what she knew about Olivia. Based on her brief meetings with her, as well as the longer meeting that evening, she was a very welcoming and selfless person, who was fanatically loyal to those she considered her friends, if her sporting allegiances were anything to go by. The girls in the group had all taken great pains to point out that she was a beautiful, kind person in spite of her moment of weakness. Based on some of the stories the group had mentioned, Carrie couldn't help but agree.

Next, she focused on the moment of weakness itself. While she was hurt that someone she was hoping to consider a friend had laughed at the video, she wasn't actually in there with them. The Carrie of the time certainly didn't have room to care about whether someone outside of her immediate sphere was mocking her – she had her plate full as it was. She then considered Olivia's thinking behind her actions – based on her outburst, as well as Ashley's mild skepticism, it seemed that the girls at Eternal Pentecost were happy, well-adjusted individuals who felt secure in their faith in this modern world. To such a person, the idea that a girl was terrified of a regular occurrence was not only bizarre, but laughable as well. Besides, the mere act of laughter wasn't even in the top 10 worst things she had endured in Maine.

Lastly, she turned to Olivia's reaction to what she had done. She couldn't help but compare Olivia to Sue Snell. Both of them had acted cruelly towards her – although Olivia's action was more indirect. Both of them had acted out whilst in the company of Chris. It was almost as if the girl emitted a signal that bought out the worst human impulses in anybody around her. If Carrie didn't know better, she'd say Chris was a super villain. This was evidenced both in Carrie and Sue's reconciliation, as well as a cessation of bullying behaviour from the leftover Ultras, who had co-operated with police to get probation. They didn't seek her forgiveness, but they never bothered her again.

To Carrie, the true character of a person was revealed in how they reacted to their mistakes. Sue and Olivia both showed their true colours by displaying their deep remorse for their behaviour. Sue had asked Carrie's forgiveness, and they had become fast friends. Carrie stood ready to offer that same forgiveness to Tina, Vicki, Elizabeth, Jessica or anybody else that asked for it – and that included Chris. It would be a great failure of her Christian duty if she didn't extend that same offer to Olivia.

"Olivia." She began. "I'm not gonna lie – I was hurt by finding out about what you did. But you were deceived. Chris was like a viper – she sinks her fangs into perfectly good people and poisons them. I actually managed to forgive and make friends with one of my former bullies. If I can do that for someone who was actually in the room when that happened, I can do the same with you."

"So…you forgive me?" Olivia wondered.

"Of course!" Carrie exclaimed. No sooner had she said this than a black-and-white blur was upon her, squeezing her in a tight hug.

"Oh thank you, Carrie!" Olivia sobbed. "I don't deserve to have a friend like you!"

The two girls just stood and embraced each other for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually, Olivia spoke up as she dried her eyes.

"I'll make it up to you, Carrie! I promise!" She vowed. "I'll spend the rest of my life trying to atone if need be. You know, you're one of the most resilient people I know – you've taken more abuse and mental torment than most of my sporting idols. Walking into the Olympic Stadium in Rome to face Lazio or Roma as a visiting Juve player or fan is child's play compared to the cruelty directed at you by those girls. At least in a team you have 10 other players to share the fire with – you had no one. And the closet sounded like it was more terrifying and lonely than being a visiting Yankees player or fan at Fenway Park in Boston or a Giants player or fan at the old Veterans Stadium in Philly or at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Well, you don't have to worry any more, Carrie! You've got your own squad right here with you, ready to walk with you through the fire and the storm! And I'll be your number one fan, your biggest cheerleader, your own personal _tifosa_! And if I see either of those two bitches again, I'll wring their fucking necks! Those are promises! And the De Rossi family always keep their promises!" She finished, sounding like a coach delivering a pep talk.

"Wow, mob boss much?" Brianna joked. "Are some of the farmers in New Hampshire gonna have to worry about their horses going missing?"

"Besides, unless you plan to break into Bolduc Prison or a mental hospital, you're going to have difficulty keeping that particular promise." Carrie added.

"I said 'if.' I still have time." Olivia shot back, some of the funny, feisty and happy girl Carrie had encountered earlier returning.

"Livy." Cat began. "It's too late to change the past, but please tell me your school beat the absolute crap out of that pack of snakes."

"Oh yeah, 7-1. Hat-trick to yours truly. Wasn't even close." Olivia boasted, sounding for all the world like Tony Stark..

"On that whole 'squad' thing." Ashley mused. "There's 15 of us girls here, including Carrie – that's three short of a full match day squad in hockey, which is 18. Once she gets to know the boys better, she'll have almost a full MLB roster behind her."

"Those poor bitches." Renee smirked. "By the way, I should probably formally introduce myself. I'm Renee Hawthorne - sophomore at NYU and spent my childhood and school years in Philadelphia. I like Philly sports and TV shows."

"I'm Ashley Deslauriers." Ashley introduced. "I moved from Montreal to Albany when I was 15, and now I'm about to start my first year at Colombia University. My interests are the Montreal Canadiens hockey team and history. Digging the bracelet, by the way."

"And I'm Danielle Horton." Danielle introduced. "I have a twin brother in this group named Michael. We're both in senior year at a high school in Kingsbridge Heights, here in the Bronx. I'm into hard rock and heavy metal mostly, but I enjoy all types of music."

"You'll get to know the other girls more as time goes on." Nikki stated. "But I think Carrie's had enough excitement for tonight, okay?"

As the group went up to Carrie one by one and hugged her goodbye, her mind was going at a million miles a minute. She would have considered tonight a success if she had made two new friends. Now it seems, she had more friends than she knew what to do with. She was overwhelmed by the sheer level of love and respect being shown to her. She concluded that God works in mysterious ways, and this was all part of his plan for her.

As she, Alexis and Cat walked back to the limo, Happy rolled down his window.

"You okay? You were in there for a while." Happy remarked.

"There was a minor disagreement. But, it was smoothed out. And I also made a lot of new friends. You know, Happy, for the first time since I got here, I think everything's going to be okay." Carrie smiled.

*** TWFAF ***

Eventually, after dropping Cat and Alexis at their respective houses, Happy and Carrie made their way back to Avengers Tower. Happy, as was the new tradition, had a green lollipop stuck in his mouth.

"Everything go okay at your church thing, Carrie?" Tony asked.

"Apart from a minor disagreement, everything went great." Carrie answered.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Someone argued with you?" Tony inquired. "Am I going to have to get the Iron Destroyer?"

"And am I going to have to get _Bucky_?" Steve asked, a dangerously protective note in his voice.

"The Other Guy would like in on this action as well." Bruce interjected.

"It wasn't like that!" Carrie protested. "Turns out a girl there was billeting with Chris around the time of the whole shower thing and laughed at the video because she didn't believe a girl could be scared of a tampon. She feels really bad about it and is totally in my corner now, along with the rest of the group. She asked for forgiveness, and I gave it to her. Please trust my judgement of character, like you did with Sue." She finished, firmly.

"You know, she has a point." Steve conceded.

"Yeah, that Snell girl was actually downright pleasant when we met her." Bruce added. "And she was actually in the video, throwing stuff."

"It's actually all on Ruby, if you want to take a look." Carrie stated, displaying the bracelet/inhibitor/hidden camera.

And so, the four sat down to watch the video, with Carrie skipping bits she didn't feel were important. They smiled at how the group made Carrie feel welcome, laughed at some of Carrie's answers to the Q&A, tensed up at Carrie's revelation of her bullying and abuse as well as Olivia's confession, cheered on the other members of the group defending Carrie, and were moved by Olivia's plea for forgiveness and her and Carrie's reconciliation, as well as Olivia's pledge to unconditionally support Carrie. Lastly, they had a laugh at Olivia's bragging about how she easily beat Ewen High's soccer team.

"Well, looks like you were right, Carrie.' Tony spoke. "I can see in her eyes and face that she meant what she was saying. Plus, she reminds me of me, which is never a bad thing. But we still get to bust her ass when she brings the gift basket."

"And I've got to get all the batteries in the lab secure, in case that Philly girl decides to come over." Bruce added.

*** TWFAF ***

**Next chapter: Carrie and Peter attend a pool party, and Carrie confides in Peter's friends about her experiences in Maine. Later, Carrie and Peter get into an argument, which results in their powers getting used against each other. Will this prove a barrier to their relationship?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks once again to T-Rex-1000 for their review! I'll address your review in three parts.**

**I'm glad you liked my characterisation of Jubilee! As I said, I'm not an X-Men person, so I had to do some research to make sure I got her backstory right.**

**Believe me, as a person who holds great faith but who considers themselves somewhat of a lapsed Catholic, the abuse scandal is a great source of shame and pain to me. I actually had a much longer flashback detailing all this out, but I felt that it probably would have had both served to overstuff an already long chapter and force a rating change, as I feel would be required for an in-depth examination of the topic. I have since made a M-rated one shot set in this universe focusing on Carrie's grappling with this situation in depth.**

**Re: Olivia – I wanted to convey that she is a fundamentally good person who did a bad thing, as evidenced by her guilt-ridden confession The disappointment expressed by her peers was intended to make sure she understood that what she did was wrong, whilst the rebuilding was intended to remind her of the kindness that lies in her heart, so she did not get too down on herself. In the next chapter, I will show how Olivia came to meet Chris, as well as her POV of the shower video, and how the revelation of the video's true nature affects her.**

**Before I start this chapter, some notes.**

**I have given Tony a small backstory as to why he reacts to a certain event in this chapter. This is based on Robert Downey Junior's own history, and I felt it would be appropriate given the potential consequences.**

**Like the other chapters in this story, this chapter contains themes of Carrie's unabashedly Christian faith. However, the reason I note it here is twofold: She gives her opinion on certain topics of the day, and the concept of religious conversion is touched upon. I wish to make this plain, Carrie's opinions do not necessarily reflect my own, but I felt they would be authentic for her to hold. Also, I wish to emphasise that the purpose of this story is NOT to proselytise to my readership – it is to tell a story of a girl trying to find her way to the world and growing closer to those around her. However, if overt religiosity in the context of this particular story offends the readership, I am willing to write another story under the "Spiritual" genre where these ideas are explored more in depth.**

**Lastly, in the course of writing this chapter, I learned about the heartbreaking revelations by **_**Supergirl **_**actress Melissa Benoist concerning her personal life. I feel the greatest empathy for Melissa, having become a follower of hers through **_**Glee **_**and **_**Supergirl**_**. Domestic violence is a stain upon society that must be eradicated at any cost. All survivors of this heinous act have my full support. Even though this chapter does not touch on domestic violence, I just want to take this opportunity to say #IStandWithMelissa.**

"**You always want to go to a party where you get an invite."– Simon Cowell**

Chapter 4

Carrie felt like she was in hell. The heat penetrated her very being, causing her to sweat. Small beads of water rolled down her forehead as she struggled to concentrate on the essay she was writing for her English class. However, thoughts of the works of T.S. Eliot were the furthest thing from her mind right now as she tried to fight off the oppressive sensation. A less-educated Carrie might have frozen in terror, believing herself to be damned for all eternity and casting her eyes around in search of Satan. No, this was not hell. Rather, it was New York in the middle of a summer heatwave – a.k.a: The next worst thing.

"Ugggh! It's so damn hot!" Peter complained, slamming himself down on the couch. On either side of him, two fans were on full power, trying to provide a cooling relief from the heat.

"You think you've got it bad?" Tony groused. "Dummy got overheated. Phantom of the Space Opera's trying to fix him right now."

"With all due respect, Mr. Stark, Dummy's a _robot_." Peter shot back. "He can handle anything. I'm a human, and I feel like I'm going to suffocate!"

"F.R.I.D.A.Y? Increase air conditioning." Tony called.

"_Air conditioning is at full power."_ The Irish AI replied.

"Well, look at that." Tony mused. "Looks like God hates us all. Let's just hope Carrie doesn't get that reference."

Oblivious to their conversation, Carrie was still trying desperately to get some work done. All of a sudden, her phone started buzzing – she was receiving a phone call! She grabbed the phone and held it up to the light. The home screen read: _Unknown Number – Video Call_. Carrie was flummoxed. Who would be calling her out of the blue? Her first instinct was to ignore it – it was probably a scam caller or something like that. However, the fact it was a video call allowed her to relax – whoever it was wanted to show their faces to her, meaning that they were worthy of trust. She pressed the green button to accept the call. Two faces appeared before her. Carrie beamed as she recognised them – they were Danielle Horton and Renee Hawthorne, two girls that she had met at the Eternal Pentecost youth group that week. Both of them had offered her comfort and friendship when they had heard about her traumatic childhood and had defended her when Olivia had confessed to laughing at the video of her being bullied. Carrie felt touched that Danielle and Renee took time out of their day to call her.

"Hey, Carrie! How's it going?" Danielle greeted happily. Her silver earrings seemed to reflect the light of the sun. She was wearing a Slayer T-shirt and a pair of blue shorts. Her peppy attitude served to both contrast and complement her somewhat darker tastes in music.

"We hope you're feeling better after what happened at youth group." Renee offered, dressed in a blue and red Philadelphia 76ers T-shirt, repping her home town to the hilt.

"Hi, Danielle! Hi, Renee!" Carrie greeted in return. "Yes, actually, I am feeling a lot better now. Everyone makes mistakes, and Olivia owned up to hers."

"That's nice." Danielle smiled. "Because that Livy that you heard being talked about was not the Livy that we know."

"She's a truly nice person with a big heart, Carrie." Renee explained. "She welcomes everybody – in fact, she actually shilled out for me to go to a Rangers-Flyers game at MSG when I was new to the city."

"And she's a real peacemaker as well. When we both became Catholic, we had to learn to forgive – either ourselves or others. Livy was a real help in helping us to find peace within ourselves and grow closer to God." Danielle continued.

"Wait…did you say _becoming_ Catholic?" Carrie wondered.

"Yep. We weren't born into the church like you or Lex or Cat or Livy." Came Danielle's reply. "Renee and I both grew up in secular families, but circumstances led us into the arms of our true shepherd, Jesus Christ. But that's not important right now."

Carrie was filled with awe. Danielle and Renee had heard the voice of Jesus calling to them, and they had responded. She was particularly surprised by Danielle's faith, seeing as she was a big fan of heavy metal music which had been unfairly stereotyped as the devil's music. She couldn't help but be intrigued as how she had come to balance the two. Judging by her sunny, optimistic attitude, it was clear that she had managed to do so successfully. Carrie had managed to find enjoyment in a couple of hard rock bands like Iron Maiden and AC/DC, and she was always looking to find out new things. Perhaps Danielle could introduce her to some new bands, she thought.

"Wow! That's really cool!" Carrie exclaimed. "How did it happen?"

A long period of silence emerged from the two girls on the other end. Carrie mentally slapped herself – she had probably just alienated them by asking such a sensitive question. Eventually, Renee spoke up, scratching her dirty blonde hair in what looked to be a nervous tic.

"Um…those aren't really the sorts of things we feel comfortable discussing over the phone." She admitted.

"I'm so sorry." Carrie replied, quickly. "I'm such a stupid fool."

"Stop that, Carrie!" Danielle interjected. "You are _not _a fool!" The brunette then took a deep breath. "Look, without mentioning specifics, events transpired in both our lives that forced us to realise that we were sinners in need of mercy. It was like God had given us a wake up call. Renee and I both repented of our sinful ways and gave our lives to Jesus. Eventually, we both entered into the Catholic Church. That makes us like kindred spirits, even though we lived in different cities at the time."

"Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross for our sins." Renee declared. "The least we can do is honour and obey his teachings. In fact, that's actually part of the reason why we called you today. What's happened to us doesn't matter – it's you we're concerned about."

"_Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anybody who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me_." Danielle spoke, softly.

"Matthew 10:40…" Carrie whispered, recognising the biblical reference.

"That's right. We really enjoyed meeting you the other night, Carrie." Danielle continued. "Of course, we didn't enjoy hearing about what you had been through, but Jesus commands us to love our neighbour as ourselves."

"In fact, we were hoping that you would come and have dinner with us and Ashley next week at my place." Renee asked. "That way, the four of us can get to know one another better and we'll share our testimony with you."

"Sure!" Carrie smiled. "How about next Friday?"

"Excellent! It's a date!" Renee exclaimed. "Until then, so long, Carrie!"

"Goodbye, Carrie!" Danielle called, waving through the phone. "We love you! God bless you!"

"God bless both of you, Renee and Danielle!" Carrie smiled, as she bid farewell to her two newest friends. The two girls were clearly very involved and passionate about their Christian faith, just like Carrie. This was demonstrated by how they voluntarily quoted Bible verses and talked about how they had turned away from sin to follow God. Carrie wasn't about to judge them for what they may have done in the past – she was a sinner herself, after all, as she remembered her anger towards God in her mother's closet. She looked forward to furthering her relationship with them both.

Just then, Carrie's phone buzzed. She looked down to smile brightly that Danielle and Renee had sent their phone numbers to her, so she could keep in touch. She saved their numbers, and then returned back to the phone to contact one of her first friends.

"_Hi, Carrie!"_ Cat shrilled into the phone. "_Good day for the devil, huh?"_

"Tell me about it, Cat." Carrie grumbled as she focused on the assignment in front of her. "I was actually hoping that we could hang out this weekend."

A groan sounded through the phone line. "_No can do. I'm flat out in training. Yeah, I'll be there! That's my coach. Real hardass."_

"Well, what about any of our group – Alexis or Olivia or Brianna?" Carrie inquired.

"_Unfortunately, Lex is in Vienna to visit her grandparents. Also, Livy told me that she's grounded for keeping what happened in Maine from her parents. And quite frankly, so she should be – we all love and forgive her, but she has to understand that what she did was wrong. And I know she does understand. You can look forward to having an amazing experience with her when the time comes for her to make it up to you. No idea what Brianna's up to, though."_ Cat responded.

"Well, I've got some more good news on the friendship front – I'm actually having dinner with Renee, Danielle and Ashley at Renee's house next week." Carrie spoke.

"_That's wonderful!" _Cat exclaimed. "_Don't let the heavy metal getup and ex-cheerleader good looks fool you – Danielle and Renee are actually two of the most devout Catholics I've ever met."_

"Yeah, I got that impression." Carrie murmured, remembering Danielle's words about how she needed mercy.

"_I think it's because they regard their faith in God as the truly precious gift that it is." _Cat mused. "_Being converts, they generally live their lives with more zeal and passion than those of us who were born into the faith, where it just becomes another thing we do and something we take for granted. And yes, I have heard both of their testimonies. And no, I will NOT disclose what they said – that would betray their confidence. All I'll say is, once you've heard about what Danielle and Renee have both been through, you'll understand why they were so loving and protective of you that night."_

"_Alvarez! Get your ass into gear!"_ Interrupted a loud male voice.

"_Fine!" _Cat grumbled. "_Getting the wrap up here. I gotta go. See you around, Carrie!"_

"See you soon, Cat!" Carrie called as she hung up. She let out a groan – there was now officially nothing to take her mind off this searing heat. Mentally tapping out, she got up and went into the living area and was greeted by the sweet relief of a pair of fans operating at full force. Peter was slumped on a couch, whilst Tony and Pepper were sitting on a balcony with a glass of sparkling water.

"Come out here, Carrie!" Tony called out. "Join us!"

"And leave the fans?" Carrie shot back. "Hell would be more pleasant."

"Well, be that way, but you haven't really lived until you experience a heatwave!" Tony replied. With that, Carrie collapsed onto the couch alongside Peter.

"How's it going, Carrie?" Peter asked.

"Sweating." Was Carrie's short response. "You?"

"You just answered your own question." Peter responded. The pair sat in silence, with only the whirring of the fans for company. Eventually, Peter would press on.

"So…" He began, nervously. "Couldn't help but catch the back end of your conversation."

"Yeah. All my friends are either busy or grounded." Carrie replied, wiping sweat from her brow. "Though I am going to have dinner with two new friends next week."

"Well…if all your friends are busy, you can always hang out with me, MJ, Ned and Betty." Peter declared. "They all want to get to know you better."

"That's nice of them, but I don't want to impose on them." Carrie murmured. Almost on cue, Peter's cellphone began to ring. Betty's name and number flashed up on the screen. He reached forward and answered it, placing the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Betty!" Peter greeted. He then paused as he listened to what she had to say. "Wow! You sure?...Yeah, Of course I'll tell her! She's right here! See you then!" He then hung up, concluding the short conversation. Smiling, he turned towards Carrie.

"Guess what?" He exclaimed. "Betty's hosting a pool party at her place, and she's invited us both!"

"Are you sure?" Carrie wondered. She had only spoken to Betty and Peter's other friends for brief moments, and she was uncertain whether she had made enough of an impression on them to be included in their circle of friends.

"Yeah! She specifically mentioned that she wanted to see you again." Peter replied.

Carrie had to pinch herself. Despite the fact that she should have gotten used to this a long time ago, as she met Brianna and Olivia, Alexis and Cat and most recently Danielle and Renee, to say nothing of her fellow heroes in training at the Xavier Institute, there was a certain part of her that felt unworthy of friendship, due in no small part to the years of abuse that she had endured under Margaret. To discover that there were people that actually wanted to know her and be her friend, made her feel overwhelmed and not a bit emotional.

"Oh wow…" She whispered. "Betty actually wants to see me?"

"Are you deaf? I said she does! And so do MJ and Ned for that matter." Peter replied, firmly. At this, Carrie remembered MJ's exhortation that she tell the three of them about her situation. Even though no explicit details were given, Betty had been able to deduce that she had been abused by someone close to her. The agreement was made that she would tell them about it when the emotion surrounding Aunt May's funeral had subsided. In many ways, the phone call loomed as a sign from above. And Carrie had never been to a pool party before – there was a first time for everything. It was then and there that she made her decision.

"OK, I will go." Carrie smiled. "It sounds fun."

"Hey! How come you'll go to some pool party, but not sit in the sun with your old man?" Tony whined.

"Well, there's water there for starters." Peter replied.

"And if I have to spend my time in the blazing heat with you making jokes about getting sunburnt, then I reiterate that hell would be more pleasant." Carrie groused.

*** TWFAF ***

And so it came to pass that Carrie and Peter were in the back of Happy's limo, headed towards Betty's house in Astoria. They left from Stark Tower on Broadway, drove along 6th Avenue and travelled south across the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge and the East River. After about 20 minutes, they left the Queensboro roadway and turned onto Northern Boulevard, eventually arriving in Astoria. All the while they blasted party music in the car, like Miley Cyrus' _Party In The USA _and Beastie Boys' _Fight For Your Right _to set the mood. Despite singing along with Peter to fuel the jovial atmosphere, Carrie felt a deep sense of nerves. She had never been to a party before, and the less said about her last time in a swimming pool, the better. The memories of the taunts she received from the Ultras rang loud and clear in her head, and she hoped that she could replace them with some happier memories. Eventually, they arrived at Betty's house – a sleek, modern-looking dwelling with large metal gates. Carrie recalled Steve telling her a story about how a Senator Brandt had used him as a recruiting tool for the war effort, and she couldn't help but wonder if Betty Brandt was some sort of relation.

The gates swung open and the limo drove up the driveway to the front door. The doors opened and Carrie and Peter stepped out of the limo, to be greeted by the girl of the hour herself. Betty was wearing a green one piece swimsuit and holding a glass of lemonade in her left hand.

"Good to see you, Peter, Carrie!" She greeted with a smile. "The water's fine! MJ and Ned are already inside. You can get changed in the bathroom. It's upstairs – the last door on your left."

"Thanks." Carrie acknowledged. She and Peter both entered the house and cast their eyes around. The Brandt house was reasonably spacious with a tastefully decorated living room and a decent sized kitchen. In the kitchen were two people she assumed to be Betty's parents – a smart, well-dressed man and a middle-aged woman with the same sort of brilliant blonde hair that Betty had.

"Oh! Are you two here for Betty's get together?" Asked the woman.

"We sure are, ma'am." Peter answered.

"I remember now - you're Betty's friend that lost an aunt recently, aren't you?" Betty's mother inquired. "And you're his sister that sang that beautiful song, Cassie-"

"It's Carrie, actually." Carrie replied. "And yes, I am Peter's new sister."

"Well, it was a very lovely performance by the sounds of it." Betty's father butted in. "I didn't see it, but Betty and Leanne – that's my wife – were at the funeral and told me all about it. Betty can sometimes get annoyed with Peter and people in general, but she's a genuinely caring person and I know she appreciated what you did for him."

"It was the least I could do, Mr. and Mrs. Brandt." Carrie spoke, respectfully.

"Oh, no need to be so formal – just call us Charles and Leanne." Leanne smiled. "You two had better go get changed! I'm just wasting your time."

After this conversation, Carrie and Peter ascended the staircase and began walking along the second storey of the house. They passed a room that was clearly marked as Betty's room, with a "Reporter At Work" sign pinned to the door. At least no one could say that Betty didn't live up to her image. As they walked further down, a familiar voice filled their ears.

"Well, if it isn't the _return of the dork…ette._" Sang MJ, parodying a famous 1990's R&B tune by Mark Morrison. She was sitting on a couch, holding a book in her hands. "But seriously, it's good to see you again, Carrie. And it's good to see both you and Peter looking happier."

"MJ and I actually had a date this past week while you were at your youth group thing." Peter supplied.

"It wasn't a date." MJ declared.

"Uh…Yeah, it was. We both went to _West Side Story _on Broadway on Tony's dime." Peter shot back.

"And just because we went to a venue in each other's company, doesn't mean that we went as boyfriend and girlfriend." MJ retorted, swinging her legs over the couch. "That reduces us to pidgeonholed roles put forward by society. No romantic sentiments were exchanged, therefore, it wasn't a date. _Ce n'etait pas une date. Es war kein Date. Non era un apputamento._ I don't know how many ways I have to say it."

"If you say so." Peter retorted. "But I know you held my hand during _I Feel Pretty_." With that, he entered the bathroom that was located at the end of the hallway together changed. Carrie placed the bag containing her swimming gear on the floor and plopped herself on the couch next to MJ. It wasn't until then that Carrie noticed the brown-skinned girl holding a novel in her hands.

"What're you reading, MJ?" Carrie inquired.

"_Death Comes For The Archbishop_ by Willa Cather." Came the reply. When Carrie's eyebrows shot up, MJ chuckled. "Relax, Carrie. No archbishops were harmed in the making of this book."

"So, what's it about?" Carrie asked.

"You'll like it. It's about the journey to New Mexico by the first ever Bishop of Santa Fe and his assistant, and how they interact with the various indigenous peoples as well as other citizens both in New Mexico and along the journey. It's historical fiction." MJ answered.

"Really? I should see if my college library has it." Carrie spoke. Noticing that Peter's girlfriend didn't seem to be dressed for swimming, she pressed on: "Are you not going swimming, MJ?"

"And take part in Betty's personal Roman circus? No thanks." MJ remarked defiantly. "She and the rest of her friends are going to party the day away while the world melts down – figuratively and literally – all around us." She then turned to Carrie. "Whatever you do in life, promise me that you'll never forget about the big issues in this world."

Carrie took MJ's words on board. It was true that there was much more happening in the world in her quest to gain friendship and acceptance. There were a lot of terrible injustices that were occurring in this world, where people of all faiths and none were oppressing or being oppressed and political and religious polarisation was the order of the day. Even if she were to become a superhero, she knew that she would never be able to stop every atrocity. But she would do all she could do to act as a beacon of light and hope In this dark, cynical world.

"I promise you I won't." Carrie replied, solemnly. Just then, Peter emerged from the bathroom wearing a pair of red and blue swimming trunks.

"Looking good, Peter!" Carrie smiled.

"And that is not creepy or weird at all." MJ deadpanned. Carrie then took the opportunity to grab her bag, get up and went into the bathroom. Once locked inside, she unzipped the bag and pulled out a navy wetsuit, which she used in aquatic training exercises at the Xavier Institute. There was a reason she chose this swimsuit – it covered her whole body. Even though she had discovered more freedom in clothing choices whilst living under Tony's roof, she still prized and valued modesty – even though her mother had presented a warped view of it. She believed that the human body was a sacred gift from God, intended for use by her and her future husband in the propagation of the species.

Because of this, Carrie was saddened and disgusted by the rise of pornography and prostitution in the world – sadness that those involved had to resort to this to make a living, and disgust for those who would degrade their fellow human beings in this way. She had undergone a deep battle trying to reconcile her discovery of human sexuality with her belief in the sacredness of the human body. In her view, many people did not understand the amazing gift they had been blessed with, and so were prone to abuse it. She had settled on this wetsuit, having used it for underwater simulations in the Danger Room. Negasonic had remarked that she looked "fucking hot" in it when she, Carrie and Jubilee had undergone such an exercise. At first, Carrie thought the comment was prurient and offensive – in other words, par for the course when the explosive mutant was concerned. But the remark had stuck in her head all day. That evening, she decided to try the wetsuit on for herself and model it. To her surprise, she did indeed look attractive in it, the form-fitting suit feeling snug around her body. Not only was she showing respect to her body, she also felt sexy.

Zipping up the wetsuit, she turned to admire herself in the mirror. Feeling satisfied with how she looked, Carrie then stepped out into the hallway, causing MJ to jerk her head upwards at her presence.

"Huh." She remarked. "That's…interesting."

"You like it?" Carrie asked, nervously.

"Looks good to me." MJ declared, quickly resuming her reading. Carrie then resumed walking, eventually emerging into Betty's backyard. The swimming pool seemed to take up almost half of the backyard, ensconced in its own area behind a safety fence. The rays of the afternoon sun seemed to reflect off the water, causing it to glisten. The heat of the noon-day sun beat down on Carrie as raucous yelling and music began to fill the air. She rounded the corner and saw a large number of young people either bobbing around in the water or sitting in deck chairs that were around the outside of the pool. Carrie gasped – she hadn't expected this many people! She had thought it would just be a small group.

"Hey, blondie! What's with the burlap sack?" Came a loud sneering voice. Carrie looked up to see the owner of the voice – a tanned boy with greasy hair.

"Get lost, Flash." A familiar voice retorted. Carrie turned around in relief to see Peter and the rotund form of Ned come swimming towards her.

"Oh, so you're one of the penis' friends." The boy – Flash – shot back. "Tell me, does he grow an inch taller in the mornings?"

"Leave them alone, Flash." Betty reprimanded as she came swimming over. "Peter's just lost his aunt and Carrie's still finding her way here. Be nice."

"Oh trust me, this _is _me being nice." Flash smirked. In that moment, Carrie was vividly reminded of Chris – like her, this Flash – if that was indeed his real name – appeared to be an arrogant popular kid with a cruel streak. And if his earlier remarks were any indication, he was deeply familiar with her new brother, and not in a good way. She instantly began to harbour a deep dislike for him.

"You shouldn't bully people." Carrie murmured.

"Carrie, don't…" Peter begged.

"What'd you say?" Flash demanded, turning back in her direction.

"I said, _you shouldn't bully people._" Carrie declared, growing braver by the second. She was determined to stand up for her new brother. "Especially someone who's just lost a family member. You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Ashamed of myself?" Flash laughed. "What is this, the fifties?"

"It's basic human decency." Carrie replied, firmly. "You need to stop."

Flash then strode forward, so that his frame towered over the young telekinetic.

"Then _why don't you make me?_" He demanded.

The tension in the air could be cut with a knife. Carrie cast her eyes around to see a crowd of people watching her – apparently, the current conflagration had attracted quite the audience. The truth was, Carrie could quite easily make Flash accede to her wishes. She could quite easily overwhelm the bully with her powers, if she put her mind to it. But she knew exactly what the reaction to that would be. She would be seen as the freak who harmed a "normal" teenage boy, completely going against one of the purposes of her journey – to win friendship in this new city. And she would be committing a sin by engaging in violence against someone who could not physically hurt her friends at that moment. Frustrated, Carrie did the only thing she could do – take a backwards step.

"Yeah, thought so." Flash crowed. "I was just leaving anyway. I'm not going to be dictated to by someone who covers up in 90 degree heat." With that, he grabbed his towel and headed back towards Betty's house.

"I'm sorry, Peter." Betty apologised. "I invited him because he was a part of the academic decathlon team. If I knew he was going to be this way about your aunt…"

"Relax. It's fine." Peter replied. "It wouldn't be Flash if he didn't try and be a smartass." He then turned towards Carrie. "So you've met Flash Thompson – fellow nerd and professional shitstirrer."

"Sounds like he should live in D.C. with a name like that." Carrie quipped. Peter,Ned and Betty's eyes went as wide as saucers.

"You…you made a joke?" Ned asked, shocked.

"What can I say? Dad's rubbing off on me." Carrie replied, sardonically.

"I've never seen anyone stand up to Flash like that before." Betty remarked, impressed.

"Well, someone had to." Carrie stated. "I don't like bullies."

"Yeah, I gathered that." Peter murmured.

A thought then flashed – no pun intended – into Carrie's mind. "Wait…if this Flash is a "nerd" as well, why does he pick on you?"

"Because he's a coward." Betty declared. "He's the strongest of the so-called "nerds", yet he would get destroyed by a real jock. Picking on those weaker than him makes him feel like a man, to some degree."

Suddenly, Carrie felt an overwhelming desire for Flash to try and antagonise her brother again so she could show him exactly what he was up against. She knew that thinking of doing such a thing was wrong, but she couldn't help it. To bully people and say cruel things about them was one thing. But to do so because of their place in the social hierarchy and their insecurity about that was something else altogether. Carrie felt that Flash's status as a "nerd" should give him a sort of kinship with Peter and his friends, not mark them as targets. However, she knew such people could not be reasoned with. All she could to was pray for his heart to be changed.

"Forget about him, Carrie." Ned offered. "Why don't you come in?"

Carrie hesitated. She was about to enter water, in a social setting, for the first time since Chamberlain. That previous time had…not been pleasant, to say the least. But she felt that there was something different about this situation. First, the only bully had already departed the scene, removing any possible tension. Secondly, she had an established cadre of supportive people. Third, whilst the pools she usually swam in were indoors, and associated with school or training, this pool was outside, basking in the radiant sunshine and beauty of God's creation. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself.

"Get ready!" Carrie yelled. "I'm coming in!" With that, she took a couple of steps and jumped in. Her entrance created a splash, sending water everywhere. Carrie froze momentarily. Had she just splashed someone and offended them? To her surprise, no one seemed to notice her – they were all involved in their own conversations. Suddenly, she felt water splash onto her face.

"Splash war!" Peter laughed as he and Ned ganged up on her and began splashing her.

"No fair!" Carrie laughed as she splashed Ned back. Peter soon found herself under fire from Betty, who sent a wave of water into his back. The fight was on, as the telekinetic and journalist fought off the webslinger and the scientist. Ferocious splashes of water were exchanged between the four as laughter filled the air. Eventually, the four of them were puffing and breathing heavily.

"Truce?" Betty panted, starting to feel fatigue.

"Truce." Ned agreed, weakly.

Carrie started to feel a sense of exhilaration within her. She had just engaged in a bout of play fighting – something that normal teenagers did. And even more amazingly, she had enjoyed it! She was starting to love the cool and soothing feeling of being in a swimming pool. The water just seemed to wash away the parched feeling of the heatwave she had experienced earlier. Carrie felt thrilled as she, Peter, Ned and Betty all took turns dipping their heads under the water and holding their breath. Eventually, the four would emerge, breathing heavily and laughing. Truly, this was one of the happiest memories of her life so far. Betty actually introduced her to two new people – Phillip and Andrea, a brother and sister duo from her school. The new trio hit it off straight away, especially when they saw her wetsuit. They complemented her for it, saying she looked good in it. Through the ensuing discussion, they revealed that they were deeply involved in the school's swim team and drama club. They had plenty of fun hitting each other with pool noodles and splashing each other. Peter came over to join the fun, at which point they revealed they were adopted brother and sister. Andrea and Phillip extended their condolences and wished them well in their new life together.

Eventually, long after the rest of the group dispersed, the foursome got out of the water and headed inside to get changed. To their great surprise, they found MJ sitting on the couch, still absorbed in her book.

"You still here, MJ?" Betty asked, surprised.

"Time flies when you're contemplating the interactions of 19th century clergy." MJ responded, in a monotone..

"Anyway, thank you all for today." Carrie responded. "But before I go, I remembered something. I promised I would tell you about my life prior to coming here. And I will keep my promise."

"Does that have anything to do with why you've covered yourself up on the hottest day of the year, by any chance?" The frizzy-haired girl asked.

"Let us get changed, then I'll tell you everything." Carrie answered, truthfully. She and Betty entered the bathroom and got changed back into the clothes they wore, whilst Peter and Ned did the same in another room. Afterwards, the group of five made their way into the budding journalist's bedroom. Scattered on the wall were headlines from both the _New York Times_ and the _New York Post_ concerning things such as the most recent election, controversies made by public figures, sports results and tragedies. On the wall behind the bed was a large photo of the famous news anchor Walter Cronkite. Betty knew what her passion was in life, and she lived it.

"Okay, Carrie. Let's talk." Betty announced.

And so Carrie obliged. She started to tell about how she had grown up in Maine under the oppressive thumb of her mother, and how her mother's illness fuelled her extremism and caused her to be ostracised by the townspeople. She talked about how she was pulled out of her Catholic school and homeschooled until the long arm of the state forced her into Ewen High School, where the real torture began. After she had recounted the shower incident and everything that followed, there was a long silence that stretched over the group.

MJ always felt she was above the petty squabbles of high school. She thought she could float along, above it all in a sort of splendid isolation. Instead of being obsessed with the limes of Justin Bieber, One Direction and other teen heartthrobs, she focused herself on the great modern thinkers like Aristotle and Socrates. She busied herself learning the theories of Einstein and Newton, not caring much for what the herd was doing. Hearing what Carrie had to endure snapped her back to reality. That reality being, that bullies and their victims did exist in this world, and who was to know that there were not worse bullying going on at Midtown High than the relatively benign mockery carried out by Flash Thompson? She also wondered that, were she in Maine at that time, whether she would intervene against Carrie's bullies.

She could not say for sure that she would. And that realisation sickened her.

Ned was shocked, to say the least. He had a suspicion that things had been bad for her when her silence spoke louder than a million words when Betty formed her opinion over what had happened. However, what she described was beyond the pale of human decency, never mind his worst case scenario. He thought he and Peter had it tough, being Flash's personal insult targets. Ned shook his head as he realised that Carrie had it much, much worse.

Betty was devastated. She, like Ned, knew that Carrie had it bad, but she was blown away by the scope of the cruelty and abuse that she had to endure. She had just had her fears confirmed, in the worst possible way. Her heart broke as she pictured Carrie, crying and terrified in a closet, a place meant for dresses and shoes, not for a girl that was in her age range. Even though she was still iffy on the concept of faith and religion, she knew that Carrie's faith clearly played a strong role in her love and support for Peter. In a sense, she wished that she could have that same love and devotion. She respected that Carrie respected their lack of faith, however, she got the distinct impression that Carrie and Peter were starting to get closer, and in time he would ask to know more about her faith. Truth be told, she wasn't entirely dismissive of cChristianity – independent accounts had confirmed that Jesus Christ was a historical figure that had existed, and the intense surge of superpowers in the world had revealed the existence of the Norse pantheon. She just hated the pushy, hypocritical style of many preachers. Betty had always wondered whether there was something bigger than her in this world and the answer, in one sense, was yes.

Another feeling swirled around inside Betty – gratitude. She and her family had always been relatively well off, as their rather stately house and pool demonstrated. The pool had always been something that Betty had taken for granted, having learned to swim in it from a young age. However, this had developed into a sense of complacency. It had started to almost become boring, in a sense – swimming had become just another activity for her. However, seeing the fun Carrie had had, as well as learning about her terrible childhood, suddenly made her appreciate everything she had.

"Wow…" Ned whispered, scarcely daring to believe it.

"Oh, that's horrible!" Betty exclaimed, as she hugged the young telekinetic. "I'm so sorry, Carrie!"

MJ, however, remained fixated in thought. Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, she spoke up.

"There's one thing I need to know. How…how did you keep your faith after what your mother did to you? And…everything else that's gone on in the church?" She wondered.

"Well, first of all, my faith has always been the centrepiece of my life and the driving force behind everything that I do." Carrie responded. "Unfortunately, my mother's mental illness and paranoia tried to infuse a negative, extremist view of my faith on to me. In an alternate universe, I would have received a solid, orthodox teaching of my religion, as well as the opportunity to make friends and see what the world has to offer. By "everything else", I presume you mean the most latter day and shameful of scandals. After much prayer and guidance, I came to the conclusion that the importance of the Church in my life, as the distributor of the Word of God and guardian of the faith,, was not diminished by the evil and depraved acts of some priests, anymore than the rash actions and corruption of some police officers does not lessen the importance of the police force. The abuse scandal has infused me with a healthy skepticism about the broader church hierarchy and a need to call them to account when they mess up. However, I'm still faithful to the tenets of the Catholic Church, and am fairly traditional in some of my beliefs and values. For example, it was my choice to wear that wetsuit to the pool. I believe my body is sacred, and it is only right to give it the proper honour by keeping it shielded from prying eyes. Plus I like it – it's comfortable. Also, I intend to practice chastity, both by waiting until marriage, which is unmarried chastity and being faithful to my future husband, which is married chastity. I believe that to have sex outside of marriage, for example, is wrong and a mortal sin."

"Explain." Peter inquired. MJ, Ned and Betty also seemed interested. Carrie then took a deep breath.

The fact that she wasn't getting howled down by the four secular-minded teens for merely suggesting that something that was perfectly legal, not to mention glorified by the culture, could possibly be a sin, showed that perhaps there was fertile ground for them to receive the teachings of God and the church, and embrace them. Carrie knew that she would have to manage this carefully. If she looked like she was condemning any of them as terrible people, it would be a sure-fire receipe for alienation. All of humanity were sinners as far as Carrie was concerned, herself included, but there was a large distinction between "sinner" and "bad person". MJ, Ned, Betty and Peter had all shown themselves to be good people, and she would make that clear to them in any discussions where the topic of sin came up She had received considerable education on how to live her life as a Catholic, both from Father Wilkes and Kurt "Nightcrawler" Wagner, an X-Man who was forced to abandon his dreams to become a priest after his mutation left him with dark fur over his body, giving him an appearance of a demon. One such topic she received education on was how to live out the Great Commission, Christ's call to "_make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you._"

One good point that she had learned from Kurt was to avoid proselytising – talking "at" people – and instead focus on explaining why she held her beliefs – talking "to" people and engaging in dialogue. Another was that there were a large number of great intellectuals and scientists who were Christians, such as Thomas Aquinas, G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis and Father Georges Lemaitre, the originator of the Big Bang Theory. Kurt had told her that faith need not contradict reason, and in fact was an example of reason at work, as outlined in Aquina's _Summa Theologica. _ "If our faith can not be defended with logic and reason, then it is not worth defending." The furry mutant had told her. Carrie prayed for God to guide her words and to open the hearts of her new friends. With a firm resolve, she began.

"I'll start off with the idea that sex outside marriage is unnatural." Carrie began. "In this context, unnatural means using something outside its' intended purpose."

"I thought our bodies were made for sex? Well, the reproductive organs anyway." MJ wondered.

"Indeed they are." Carrie agreed. "I'm not going to insult your intelligence by acting like you don't know how sex works. All I'll say is that both men and women possess separate but equally vital ingredients that combine during a sexual encounter. This combination leads to the ultimate purpose of sex – at least, how I see it – the creation of a new life and the continuation of our species, within the context of a marriage and a family."

"But that's not the only purpose, is there?" Ned wondered. "I mean, it's supposed to make you feel good, right?"

"Not that you would have to worry about that, Ned." Betty muttered.

"It can do that." Carrie mused. "But it has to be the right kind of pleasure – selfless, not selfish. I'll come back to that later. Anyway, our sexual organs were created by God for the purpose of being fruitful and multiplying, all the way from the time of Adam and Eve."

"How do you know for sure?" Peter asked, confused.

"Simple. Throughout the history of human biology and evolution, if that had not been God's will for our bodies, he would not have given men sperm to fertilise, nor women eggs to be fertilised, or a womb to hold the unborn child in. Humans would have evolved differently had that been the case." Carrie spoke, confidently. "Also, I practice abstinence so my education won't be disrupted, either by pregnancy or receiving treatment for an STD."

"So, that explains your belief that it's against the natural use of the body." MJ mused. "But it still doesn't explain why it is a sin – I.e: a bad thing."

"Because I love God above all else, and this teaches me to love others as I love myself." Carrie declared. "If I have sex outside of the context it was meant for by God, I am effectively saying that I love my own desires and the body of a man more than I love God, which breaks the First Commandment. A sin is not just a bad thing – it is a violation of God's laws. That law is written on the hearts of every human – after all, how many times have you heard girls who have slept with multiple men dismissed as sluts by otherwise secular people who have never opened their lips in prayer for so much as a pass mark on an exam? That's because they know, deep down, that fornication is undesirable and wrong. And by the way, I think it's wrong that girls almost exclusively get tarred with that brush – men who sleep with and objectify women need to experience similar scrutiny."

"But shouldn't people have the right to do as they want with their own bodies, as long as they're not hurting anyone?" Betty wondered.

"Yes, but for one small hitch." Carrie stated. "1 Corinthians 6:19:20 states that "_your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore, honour God with your bodies."_ We are all made in the image and likeness of God, and it is important that I treat my body as though it is holy, because it comes from God, who is holy. Also, earlier in that same passage that I mentioned, St. Paul writes about the rights of the individual: "_I have the right to do anything – but not everything is beneficial. I have the right to do anything – but I will not be mastered by anything_."

So whilst people may have the _right_ to have premarital sex, it will not be necessarily a good thing for them. For example, suppose a couple chooses to have sex. This process creates a strong bond between the two – indeed, they feel like they're made for each other. Somewhere down the line, things turn sour and the relationship is ended. The man says it just wasn't working out. The man is a bit of a player – he's had several relationships before in his life, so it's easy for him to say. The woman is devastated – she truly thought that he was her soulmate. All is not lost, however – eventually, she finds another partner. Again, things don't work out, but this time, the woman breaks it off – after all, it's happened to her before, so no big deal. Not so for the poor man she broke up with. The desire for sex leads many people to have sex with – to join themselves with – people with whom they may be incompatible. Thus, the severing of these relationships not only causes heartbreak, but also builds up indifference towards the emotions of others and causes them to lose respect for sex and their partners over time.

To return to St. Paul's writings, he states that all Christians are members of Christ's body. He follows this up by saying that fornication is like joining the body of Christ to a prostitute. The Christian view of sex is that, when two join together they become one. What St. Paul is trying to say is, when you have sex, you should have sex with someone who has decided to make the ultimate commitment to you, heart, body and soul. Anything else is seen as akin to perversion or prostitution. Of course, not everybody who has premarital sex is a pervert or a prostitute. But such is the beauty and sanctity of sex within marriage, even the most committed, monogamous unmarried couple is seen as ugly as sin in the eyes of God.

To conclude with, chastity is an important tool of self-control for me. If I succeed in mastering myself when it comes to sex, I can master myself when it comes to other areas of my life. People too easily become slaves to their lusts and desires, and thus slaves to sin." Carrie concluded.

"I never thought about it like that before." Ned muttered.

"But doesn't God himself guarantee us liberty, as stated in the Declaration Of Independence?" Betty pressed.

"On the face of it, yes. But that is the liberty to govern ones own nation and not be subjugated by a foreign power." Carrie countered. "However, in today's society, liberty has come to mean the liberty to follow the trends of society, which promotes and even glorifies behaviour which God and I consider to be immoral. I learned this the hard way at my high school. I wrote a poem about the Biblical hero Samson, whose long hair gave him strength. My English teacher called it "disturbing". I'm pretty sure he was in an illicit relationship with one of my bullies, and that's why he said that. Also, my one friend from Maine once told me that the ringleader of her crew was furious that she had accepted the punishment handed down by my gym leader. As a result, she tried to get under her skin by insinuating that the reason she owned up was not her own guilt, but because she wished to go to prom with her boyfriend and have sex with him, to the point where she was practicing her moans of sexual passion. This friend of mine even got pregnant by her boyfriend – but he took responsibility and acted like a man. The culture today has effectively reduced sex to something you do to get accepted. If anyone wants to try and shift the perception of sex back towards what it was originally intended for, one of two things happens. They either get laughed off and ignored, or get labelled as "controlling" and as an "extremist". That's offensive to me, as I have lived with someone who was truly controlling and extremist, and you cannot possibly compare my mother at her domineering worst to someone who merely wants to offer a different perspective."

"So, what do you think of gay marriage?" MJ asked. "After all, isn't there something in the Bible about how homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of heaven?"

"The way I see it, what two people do on their own time is none of my business." Carrie answered. "If two gay men or lesbians wish to live together peacefully and get married and obtain benefits through the civil process, that is their choice to make, and I wish them happiness. There are also several branches of Christianity that will bless same-sex marriages. However, the Catholic Church does not. Whilst it does welcome LGBT people, and urges against discriminating against them, it consistently teaches that homosexual sex – as opposed to mere desires that might make one gay or lesbian - is a sin. This is because, by the nature of human biology, a same-sex sexual act is not open to the creation of life, and is a selfish mis-use of their bodies, like extramarital heterosexual sex or sex where contraception is used. Just like any other person struggling with temptation, there is assistance available for LGBT people within the church to help live a chaste lifestyle if they so choose. Also, MJ, in reference to that verse you cited, there are several categories of sinner listed alongside them, and so it is not an exclusive condemnation of those that engage in gay sex."

"You said that is the Church's belief." Betty noted, picking up on Carrie's choice of words. "Is that _your _belief?"

"I believe that nobody should be discriminated against simply for being who they are." Carrie declared, firmly. "Having said that, I accept the Church's teaching on this topic. In any event, I have no problem with LGBT people – I'm actually friends with a lesbian couple. I just spoke to one half of them this morning."

"Yeah, I actually met them earlier this week. One of them was actually on St. John's academic decathlon team from when we went against them." Peter piped up. Carrie then made a mental note to ask both Alexis and Cat specifically about the Church's prohibition on same-sex marriage – after all, this wasn't her issue. It was theirs.

"The bottom line is this: whilst I am not personally opposed to gay marriage, I am opposed to any measure that would force churches to oversee them against their will. Also, I believe that anybody who truly loves their same-sex partner should wait until marriage. If I was a lesbian, I would obey the laws of God and the church and devote myself to chastity, and I would encourage any LGBT person who wishes to enter the church to do likewise." Carrie concluded.

"This probably means you're not a big fan of porn, huh?" Ned joked.

"I hate it." Carrie declared, passionately. "It's disgusting. It takes what is meant to be beautiful and turns it into something dirty and crude. It dehumanises and objectifies all involved, reducing them to mere outlets for sexual pleasure and release. Anybody who watches it demeans the dignity, both of the actors involved and of themselves. It's essentially televised prostitution. I don't normally go all fire and brimstone over the sins of someone else, but I believe that anyone who regularly consumes porn needs to repent and remove it from their lives. I truly believe that those that enjoy such things are living in a moral pigsty, wallowing in spiritual mud and filth."

"Dare I ask about abortion?" Peter wondered.

"Dead set against." Carrie responded, truthfully. "I've had to re-evaluate quite a few of my positions on this journey in New York, but my view on abortion is not, and will never be, one of those. I firmly believe that life begins at conception, and that anyone who tries to snuff out that life is committing murder. However, there are some elements of the pro-life movement that I hate. I strongly dislike the careless use of graphic pictures of aborted children by some groups. In some instances they can be useful, and even necessary, to showcase the violence and horror involved in an abortion, and I have read several testimonies that said their minds on abortion were changed after seeing such images. However, I feel the careless way some groups throw them around demeans the dignity of the dead children and re-victimises them. I am not completely opposed to their use, but they need to be used carefully and sensitively, which they are not in some situations. I guess the fact that I react so strongly to those images is fuelled by sadness and anger that such images even exist, due to the evil of abortion. Another thing I dislike is the fact that certain personalities within the pro-life movement seem to be wedded to one particular side of the political divide. They claim that you need to support politician X to be pro-life. Whilst I agree that one side clearly promotes abortion more than the other, which I find unacceptable, the other side flaunts their wealth and ignores the poor and needy, which I also find unacceptable. I've developed a mistrust of politicians in general since I've been here, largely through reading books like 1984. As a first time voter next year, this is a dilemma I will have to deal with when the time comes."

"So, if you want to get involved against abortion, you're not going to yell at anyone?" Ned wondered. "Whether they had an abortion in the past or going to get one?"

"No." Carrie declared, firmly. "My God is a God of mercy, not condemnation. Even though I would plead with, and pray for, them not to get an abortion, I would make the case that they have the opportunity to be one of the most beautiful things a woman can possibly be – a mother. Pregnancy is preparing for the beauty of motherhood, instead of being a hindrance to be overcome." At this, she grabbed her phone and scrolled through it. Eventually, she turned the phone to the group and showed them the photo of a smiling blonde girl with a little baby in her arms.

"This." She began, "is Sue Snell, once my bully, now my friend. That little bundle of joy is her daughter, who must be about five months old now. After Tony had gotten me out of my mother's house, she actually came to visit me and apologised for everything. I could actually see the beginning of her baby bump – she didn't have to tell me. Anyway, she was reluctant and frightened to have it – she didn't know whether she and Tommy could afford it and their college tuition. She told me she felt unworthy to be a mother, because she would feel like a hypocrite if she tried to raise her to be respectful and welcoming, when she failed to live up to those values herself. I told her that if she aborted, she would be repaying evil with evil, in the words of St. Paul. She would be committing an act of vengeance against her body and unborn child for her own sins of cruelty towards me, taking an act of judgement upon her that belongs to God. She will have to give her account one day for what she did to me, and I pray that God will have mercy on her. But harming her unborn child and herself, on account of something I had already forgiven her for, was not the repayment I sought. I encouraged her to be the best mother she could possibly be, if she really wanted to make it up to me. As you can see, she took my advice.

As to those who have had abortions, or any sinner, I would tell them that that there is hope, forgiveness and healing to be found in Jesus Christ. He came and died to take away our sins, so that we might receive forgiveness and eternal life. He doesn't want anyone to walk around miserable, with guilt, shame and fear in their hearts. He wants to take that all away and give you peace. All anyone has to do is ask for forgiveness. No matter who you are, or what you've done, he will show you his love and mercy if you come humbly before him."

A long silence stretched into the room, as the four listeners contemplated the words of the young telekinetic. Eventually, after a pause that seemed to last an eternity, MJ spoke.

"Wow. That's…a lot to take in." The frizzy-haired girl announced. "And I'm sure some of these topics will be revisited. But it was interesting hearing about what makes you tick. And I actually agree with you when it comes to your points about sex in the culture. I'm not sure I agree with the whole "spiritual filth" thing, but porn presents a toxic view of women that values them by what they do for their men. Also, I'm not a fan of half our year group counting the dates until me and Peter get it on, which explains the whole "not a date" thing earlier. Believe it or not, I'm actually curious about the idea of Peter and I practicing abstinence."

"We are?!" Peter asked, shocked.

"Hush, you." MJ replied, dryly. "Anyway, long story short, I'm actually on your side on this one, Carrie."

"Yeah, and even though I'm still sceptical about religion, it's clear to me that you have good morals and consistent values, as well as being open and welcome to everybody. I don't dislike Christians, but I do dislike the hypocrisy so many seem to exhibit. I might not agree with everything you say, but I can't accuse you of being a hypocrite." Betty announced. "So many times we hear that things are a sin with no explanation behind it – it was interesting to actually hear a perspective that sounded reasonable, even if I don't 100% agree with everything. And hey, you managed to convince MJ of some of your arguments, so who knows?"

"What she said." Ned deadpanned. Just then, Carrie's and Peter's phones buzzed. It turned out to be Happy, signalling that he had come to pick them up. The two said their goodbyes and left. Peter and Carrie both felt satisfied with their day. They had a wonderful time together – Carrie had gotten over her fear of swimming with a crowd and had some fun, As the limo rolled back towards Manhattan, Ice Cube's _It Was A Good Day_ played softly over the stereo.

"Peter?" Carrie asked, sleepily.

"Hm?" Peter responded.

"This song's right." She smiled. "Today _was _a good day."

"Don't think you'll be fucking around and getting a triple double, though." Peter joked.

"And is there even a Fat Burger in New York?" Carrie wondered. "I mean, is that even a thing anymore?"

"You think, I can get the Goodyear Blimp to spell out: "_Tony Stark's a pimp?"_ Peter inquired. "Sounds like a fun prank we could play for his birthday."

"Yeah, just need $50 million." Carrie quipped, sardonically.

"Damn, R.I.P. to the Sonics." Peter remarked, bowing his head in mock remembrance. "Now _that's _retro."

"Speaking of retro," Carrie began. "What's with the Top Gun reference in that context? You think he feels the need…"

"Carrie, if you complete that reference, you are going to scar my virgin mind with what you're implying." Peter joked. This caused the two teens to fall about laughing in each other's arms. After composing themselves, Carrie spoke up.

"You know, this song's basically saying that it was good that none of his friends died that day and that nobody tried to kill him. Which is pretty sad when you think about it." She mused. "But there's one thing I agree with him about."

"Oh?" Peter asked.

"Like him, I thank God whenever I get up in the morning for bringing me to our new Dad. And for giving me you. I love you both so much. No matter what happens, we'll always be close, right?" Carrie pleaded, hopefully.

"Well, we're in it for the long haul now." Peter smiled. "I mean, once you've joked about Ice Cube in a limo, there's no going back. That's a pretty big step. Siblings forever?"

"Siblings forever." Carrie grinned, as brother and sister shared an embrace as Avengers Tower came into view. Both of them reflected on the day. Carrie had passed her first major social test with flying colours, and had stood up to Flash to boot. In addition, this was the first time that Peter had been truly happy since the death of his aunt. Sure, he would miss her every day, but he truly felt that he was ready to leave her in the past, and forge a series of new memories with his new family.

In the words of Ice Cube, it was indeed a good day.

*** TWFAF ***

In stark (pun not intended) contrast, the following day was decidedly _not_ good.

It started when Carrie and Peter decided to play a video game together. After much debate, they had settled on playing NBA2K19. However, when the game revved up, a second controversy had erupted – namely, which teams the two siblings would play as. Or, perhaps more accurately, over which team one sibling did _not _wish to be saddled with. Initially, it was good natured, but as the back-and-forth continued, things began to escalate.

"I'm sick of being stuck with the stupid Knicks!" Carrie complained. "I'm always at a disadvantage. I want to play as a good team for a change!"

"What did I say, Carrie? First come, first served!" Peter boasted. "You've just got to take it!"

"Yeah, but you always tie me down with your webs! It's not fair!" Carrie replied.

"I said first come first served. I never said getting there first had to be done fairly." Peter retorted. Carrie ducked her head down. She saw the games open screen, prompting players to choose a team. So, nothing was set in stone after all. A smirk crossed her face as she contemplated her next move.

"Is that so?" She asked, in a tone of seeming innocence.

"Yep!" Came the reply from Peter.

"Well…I don't see any teams yet!" Carrie shouted as she thrust her hand out. Peter let out a gasp of shock as he found himself flung off the ground by the force of her telekinetic power. Carrie slid into pole position, proceeding to use the games team selection menu to set herself up as the Utah Jazz.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Peter complained, clearly shaken by what his sister had done to him.

"First come, first served." Carrie shot back, in a childish tone.

"Yeah, but I've never seen a power like that before!" Peter shouted. "You could have killed me!"

"Oh relax. I was never going to kill you. That was just a minor taste." Carrie muttered. "Stop being such a baby."

"Oh yeah? We'll see who's the baby!" Peter shot back, as he shot a series of webs out of his hands. The first two wrapped themselves around Carrie's hands and pinned them to the wall. The third wrapped itself around her mouth, gagging her and muffling her speech.

"Mfff fffmm mmm mm mmm!" Carrie shouted, her voice muffled by the spider-gag.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Peter asked, amused.

"I said, you're gonna get it now!" Carrie yelled, angrily, as she used her powers to levitate the web wrapping off her hands and mouth. Turning towards Peter, she focused all her energy on him. Peter started to sweat as Carrie forced him up in the air. With a flex of her hand, Carrie forced Peter up against the wall of his bedroom, pinning his arms out at the side so that he looked like Jesus on the cross. Objects such as action figures and the Xbox console and controllers began to levitate off the floor. A look of shock crossed Peter's face – he never thought Carrie was capable of this!

"What's wrong, Peter?" Carrie smirked. "Cat got your tongue?"

"Let…me…go!" Peter gasped. "You're…choking…me!"

Just then, a loud metallic sounding voice filled the room, snapping the two warring siblings to attention.

"CARRIE! PETER! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

The duo spun around, and what they saw caused their eyes to widen in shock. Floating outside the window was Iron Man, his eponymous red and yellow armour glittering with the light of the sun. Just above his hands, two small missiles protruded from the weapons systems of the signature suit, pointed squarely at Carrie.

"Let him go." Iron Man instructed, firmly. Carrie's eyes widened in horror as she looked back and forth between the missiles and her struggling brother. She realised the gravity of the situation – she was presently posing a threat that necessitated lethal force to put down. She had not only put her brother's life at risk, she had put her own life at risk as well. Trembling, she gently lowered Peter to the ground, who fell on all fours and started to gasp for breath.

"Okay. No-one is going anywhere until you tell me just what's going on here." Iron Man demanded, as his helmet fell away to reveal the displeased face of Tony.

"He/She started it!" Carrie and Peter chorused together.

"One at a time." Tony instructed. "Carrie, you first."

"He's not letting me choose my teams on the game!" Carrie whined, in a plaintive tone.

"Yeah, because it's _my _game!" Peter responded, fiercely protective of his property.

"I used my power to get into place to actually pick a good team for once!" Carrie insisted. "It's not my fault he can't take a taste of his own medicine!"

"What do you mean, a taste of his own medicine?" Tony wondered, glancing in the direction of the webslinger. "Peter? What have you been up to?"

"He's been pestering me with his webs!" Carrie complained. "He does that so I don't get to pick the teams!"

"Is this true?" Tony asked, a hint of danger in his tone.

"Yes, Mr. Stark." Peter whispered, resignation setting in.

"So." Tony announced. "To recap: I had to abandon my research, dust off this suit which costs more to power for one flight than either that cow Margaret or your aunt earned in their lifetimes, and find my two children attempting to kill each other, and had to threaten force to de-escalate the situation, over a FUCKING VIDEO GAME?!" At these words, the philanthropist's previously cool persona melted away, to reveal the anger brewing within. Carrie had only seen Tony angry once – when Margaret had tried to stab her. Being the target of that very same anger was terrifying, and knowing that she had done something to incur that anger was sobering.

"W-w-well, yeah." Peter stammered in shock. "But…"

"BUT NOTHING!" Tony thundered, showing the two siblings exactly how he felt. "NO BUTS! NO EXCUSES! COME WITH ME NOW!" With that, Tony stormed out of Peter's room, with Peter and Carrie trailing behind, their eyes wide as saucers. Eventually, when they reached the kitchen, the originator of Iron Man turned to them.

"Peter, web up to the ceiling." He instructed, in a tone that booked no dissent. "Carrie, levitate that cup in the air." Unsure why exactly they were instructed to use their powers after they were yelled at for using them in the first place, the duo nevertheless complied. Peter shot a web onto the ceiling, using it to crawl up the walls of the kitchen. Carrie focused sharply on the small plastic cup, lifting it up in the air. Tony paced around between the two siblings, and began to speak, in a calm voice devoid to the anger that existed earlier. Deep down, he knew he had overstepped the mark by yelling at two people who had been through a lot in their lives. But he needed to get their attention, so they would learn the lesson he was about to teach them.

"These," Tony began, indicating the powers at work, "are _NOT _toys! They are to be used to help the people of the world, and maybe the odd mild prank, but never to harm or humiliate each other! Do you think S.H.I.E.L.D. chose you because of your acrobatic form or because you can move stars in the sky? No! They chose you because your powers are to be moulded and harnessed to make you into soldiers to fight for this earth! Soldiers who misused their weapons were confined to barracks or dishonourably discharged. Likewise, S.H.I.E.L.D. has a plan for any Avenger who goes off the reservation, and let me tell you, it is a hell of a lot more severe than being grounded or expelled! Your powers, when used wrongly, can hurt or kill people, and it's my job to make sure you understand that. You can stop now."

Carrie plonked her cup back onto the table, as Peter's feet landed on the floor with a thud as he swung down from the roof. They turned towards Tony, waiting for his next words.

"Now, you two both messed up, so I have to be papa bear and lay down the law." Tony declared. "You're both grounded for the rest of the day until I decide what to do with you. Go to your rooms now. Carrie, make sure you've got Ruby strapped on tight."

Defeated, the two siblings turned their back as they went to their rooms. Carrie entered her bedroom and slammed the door, taking out her anger at herself on the inanimate object. She fossicked around in her drawers and pulled out the bracelet-shaped inhibitor. When worn, it put out a signal that interacted with the part of the brain that controlled her power, effectively locking her powers away. As she fastened it to her wrist, it let out a little boop sound, indicating that the inhibition of her powers were complete. Carrie's thoughts now turned to her actions. She cast her mind back to the funeral of Aunt May. When she had sung for her, she had promised that she would always be there for him, in the sight of God and man. She had terrified and angered him, in a completely unnecessary display of arrogance and childishness. How soon she had forgotten her promises! She had told Peter over and over again that she loved him – well, she had not done a good job showing it on this occasion.

Remorse and guilt twisted in her stomach. Carrie knew that she had committed a mortal sin by lashing out in anger at Peter, to the level of potentially doing him harm. In doing so, she had mistreated an orphan, one of the most emotionally vulnerable people there could be. What she had done was so terrible that it had killed the sanctifying grace that she had received at baptism and inflicted a mortal wound on her soul. If not repented of and absolved before death, this sin could see Carrie cast into eternal damnation in hell. In addition, oppression of an orphan was a sin that cried to heaven for vengeance, with God promising to inflict vengeance upon those who did such things, as outlined in the Book of Exodus. Truly, in this moment, she was no better than Chris and the rest of the Ultras.

Tears spilled out of her eyes as Carrie looked up at the crucifix on her wall. The only way she could get out of this would be to throw herself upon the infinite mercy of the one who was hung on the cross for her transgressions, as she remembered the words she had spoken to Peter and his friends. Trembling, she prostrated herself on the floor before her bed. Not daring to raise her eyes to her Lord and Saviour, Carrie began to weep bitterly as she uttered an Act Of Contrition, a prayer that conveyed her disgust for her sins, of eternal punishment and her sorrow for offending her Creator. Her hands were locked together in front of her bowed head, in a gesture of supplication.

"O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because I have offended You, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life. Amen."

Making the Sign of the Cross, Carrie stood up as she wiped tears from her red, puffy eyes. She had just declared her intention to go to confession as soon as humanly possible to seek absolution. She then reached around and grabbed her silver rosary which sat on her bedside table. She intended to pray a decade of the Holy Rosary as her own personal act of penance for trying to harm her brother in such a way. As she was gathering the beads in her hand, she heard Tony's voice through the door.

"Carrie? Can I come in?" He asked, in a almost pleading tone. Carrie placed her rosary on the bedside table and opened the door to allow Tony into her bedroom. Her adoptive father sat down beside her, with Carrie's head bowed in a gesture of humility.

"How're you feeling?" Tony inquired.

"Like shit." Was Carrie's murmured response. This caused Tony's eyebrows to shoot up – the rate curse meant that Carrie was taking this very hard and seriously. He slid a comforting hand around her shoulder.

"I want to talk about what happened before. " He began, nervously.

"What's there to talk about?" Carrie responded, bitterly. "You saw what happened, and I got what I deserved."

"I didn't enjoy yelling at you two." Tony admitted. "I didn't do it because I was angry – I did it because I was scared."

"Scared? Of what?" Carrie wondered.

Tony cook a deep breath. "You know I wasn't exactly a model citizen growing up, right?"

"We've been over this, Dad." Carrie answered. "Whatever you did is not for me to judge – you didn't hurt me with your bed-hopping."

"I'm not strictly talking about that." Tony responded. "I liked my alcohol in my younger years. In fact, one particular night I was completely wasted when some idiot followed me, looking for a fight. I was doing fine ignoring him, until he called me a manor-born pussy, just like my father. Now, the alcohol both fuelled my desire to defend my family's honour, whilst causing me to forget that I was supposed to hate Dad's guts." At this point, Tony let out a sigh and ran his hands over his face. There was no easy way to talk about what had happened, but it had to be done. It had to be done so Carrie could understand the potential consequences of her actions.

"I beat that guy up." Tony whispered. "I broke his jaw and put him in the hospital. The judge made an example of me and sentenced me to seven years in prison for first degree assault."

Carrie was deeply shocked by this revelation. She knew that Tony had not been a saint in his youth, but she never would've dreamed that he was capable of carrying out such a heinous act. Of course, alcohol was a significant factor in his having committed the offence, but that was still no excuse. To his everlasting credit, Tony seemed to be mortified by what he had done.

Turning to Carrie, Tony spoke: "Why I'm telling you this has everything to do with what happened earlier. You were lucky that I was the one that caught you earlier. What do you think would have happened if some random person had happened upon you two fighting and decided to call the police? Especially with the whole choking thing? You would be in big trouble – in fact, there would be every chance that you would be sent away like I was.

Do you know what it's like in prison?" Tony wondered. "It's terrible. They take away your dignity by strip-searching you, to make sure you're not smuggling anything in. You'll be put in an orange jumpsuit and shackles. There's no privacy – you'll have to use the toilet with your cell mates in there. The food's horrible – I wouldn't give that shit to my dog. Nobody in there will care about you – you'll be seen as an easy target. Your every movement will be controlled by the prison authorities. You'll be told when to sleep, when to eat, when to take a dump. That's no way for anybody to live. I don't want that for you, Carrie." He finished, the barest hint of emotion creeping into his voice. _And that's assuming they don't find out about your powers._ He added, mentally.

Carrie gulped as she took Tony's words on board. She imagined a police officer coming to the door and placing her in handcuffs. She pictured herself being perpwalked into court, her picture flashed across the news. She pictured herself being sentenced by the judge, banging his gavel to officially declare her a prisoner. She imagined all her new-found friends denouncing and deserting her, her previously good name disgraced. She pictured herself shaking as the imposing structure loomed in the distance, surround by barbed wire. She imagined being placed in a jumpsuit, officially going from civilian to inmate. She imagined the catcalls of fellow inmates as they sized her up, like a lamb being led to the slaughter. She imagined the iron door of her cell being locked behind her. Her world had now been reduced to the size of a small room, her quest for freedom ended before it ever really began.

She imagined herself breaking down and bursting into tears. It was like she was back in the prayer closet – but in some ways, this would be worse because her fear and terror would be on public display to people who thrived and fed on the fear of others. And the worst part about such a scenario, was that she deserved it.

"Do you understand why I'm taking this so seriously?" Tony asked, gently. Carrie simply nodded, the reality of the situation sinking in. "Okay. I'll go talk to Peter now, just so he doesn't think he's blameless in all this. But just understand this…just because I'm disappointed in how you acted today, it doesn't mean that I don't love you, Carrie. Because I do – more than you can ever know."

"I love you too, Dad." Carrie whispered, reaching over to hug Tony. The inventor squirmed in a joking manner.

"Ah! Hugs from a child! My…one…weakness!" Tony exclaimed, pretending to go limp in Carrie's hands.

"I'm 18." Carrie giggled, as she enjoyed the affectionate interaction.

Tony's tone then turned serious. "Are you sure you're going to be OK? I just dropped some pretty heavy stuff on you?"

"Yes, I'll be fine." Carrie offered. "Just curious – how did you get to where you are now from where you were?"

"Well, for one thing, I was hired to teach a metalwork course whilst inside." Tony replied. "The warden insisted that I do it, as that would keep me busy and out of trouble. Of course, it didn't hurt that I was one of the youngest graduates in the history of MIT. Leading the course taught me responsibility, and it helped got me parole in three and a half years for good behaviour. As to where I am now, as much as my possessive asshole of a father did not want to leave his company to his spoiled, narcissistic, philandering criminal of a son, he was even more reluctant to let it fall into the hands of outsiders. So, here I am. Anyway, I've gotta go talk to a disobedient spider. You gonna be OK?"

"Yes, I will be." Carrie replied. "Thank you for sharing this with me, Dad." Tony nodded in acknowledgement, then turned to depart. After the door was closed behind him, Carrie dropped to her knees and folded her hands in prayer.

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner." She whispered, her eyes trained on her crucifix.

*** TWFAF ***

Meanwhile, Peter was fuming. Carrie had just unleashed a power unlike any he had ever seen. She could have hurt or killed him! And for what, just so she could choose a team on _his _video game? Carrie should have been grateful just to be allowed to play it! This was how she repaid his generosity? Especially after that big speech she gave about how moral she was? Ha! She was nothing but a hypocrite!

Taking a deep breath, Peter tried to ease his mind out of this line of thinking. He considered both he and Carrie to be polar opposites to one another. Whilst he put his trust in things he could see, such as statistics and visual evidence, Carrie put her trust in things unseen. This made Peter the rational one of the two (not that he ever would call Carrie irrational), so he would go about tackling this problem in a rational manner.

First, he considered the broader behaviour of Carrie since they had met. In the short time he had known her, she had gone above and beyond for him – she had spent all her spare time with him when he took up residence in the tower following Aunt May's death. She had even prayed – an activity she clearly considered important – for someone she had never met. She had even gone out of her way to learn a song, just so she could support him. Then there was the wonderful day they had shared just yesterday. Peter was able to conclude that her behaviour towards him was out of character.

Next, he turned to the cause of the argument – namely, his game. Mr. Stark had a point – his powers were ultimately going to be used in battle, and had to be treated as such. Or, as his Uncle Ben put it, with great power comes great responsibility. Whilst NBA2K19 was certainly entertaining, it was nothing worth fighting over, and certainly not with something as intense as their abilities. Peter had to conclude that he had not used his powers responsibly.

Lastly, he turned to his own perception of his conduct. Initially, he was only defending himself from Carrie's sneak attack. However, he was drawn to examine the cause of that attack – her frustration at his control of the game, enforced by his powers. He considered Carrie's situation – she had copped so much shit from her so-called family and peers. She had found relief from all that under Mr. Stark's roof. To him, spraying someone with his webs was just a harmless prank. To her, however, it may very well have been a continuation of the bullying she had had to endure. And she had a point – he did hog all the good teams. After all she had given to him, she had the right to expect reciprocal generosity. That was something that, in this context, he had clearly failed to do.

Suddenly, Peter found himself fuming again. However, this time, the target of his anger and resentment was himself, for being such an inconsiderate jerk.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of knocking on his door. "Peter? You okay?" Tony's voice rang out.

"Fine, Mr. Stark. Come in." Peter grumbled. The door swung in and Tony entered Peter's bedroom. He pulled a swivel chair that was placed u der his desk and pulled it in front of Peter. Seating himself on it, he scooted around to face the webslinger.

"How's it going, kiddo?" Tony wondered.

"Like shit." Peter muttered, his resentment at himself becoming readily apparent. His response caused Tony to do a double take – after all, these were the exact same words that Carrie spoke to describe her feelings. _Huh. How about that._ Tony thought to himself. It was almost as if the two were on the same wavelength. He supposed it was hardly a surprise, seeing as how the duo appeared inseparable after their outing yesterday. Tony took a deep breath and prepared to give his new son his first parental talking to.

"Look, Peter…" Tony began, only to be cut off.

"Look, Mr. Stark, I get it." Peter insisted, firmly. "I get it. I know that my powers aren't a toy to be messed around with. My uncle always told me that with great power comes great responsibility. I wasn't responsible. I started this whole thing. It's my fault this got out of hand. Carrie must've thought I was bullying her. I'm...I'm a crappy brother." He finished, brushing an angry tear from his eye.

Tony put a hand on Peter's shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly. Deep down, part of him was relieved that he didn't have to explain to Peter what he had done wrong – he was prepared to take responsibility for what had gone on. Despite his appreciation for this, Tony wanted to ease Peter's self deprecation. He was not prepared to run the risk of this low moment becoming something more insidious. Carrie would be horrified to hear Peter speak about himself this way.

"Hey, listen." Tony began. "You may have behaved poorly today, but you are not a crappy brother. I know this because you made Carrie feel welcome in your friendship circle. She's clearly taken a shine to you."

"She must hate me." Peter murmured, more to himself than to Tony.

"No, she doesn't." Tony declared, with maximum certainty. "In fact, I bet she feels worse about how she acted than about what you did to her. That's just the sort of person she is."

"I just want to tell her I'm sorry." Peter whispered.

"Well, you're in luck. Because that's what we're going to do now!" Tony announced. He took Peter by the hand and let him down the hallway towards Carrie's bedroom. The pair pushed the door open to find Carrie kneeling on the floor, her rosary in hand and deep in prayer.

"_Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners_

_Now, and at the hour of our death. Amen."_

"Carrie?" Tony interrupted, carefully.

"Oh!" Carrie exclaimed, turning around to face the newcomers. "Dad! Peter! I didn't see you there."

"Now, it looks like you two have some things you need to get off your chests." Tony stated, seriously. "I'll leave you alone for a bit, then I'll see you both to inform you both of your punishment." With that, he turned on his heel and left the room, leaving the two siblings to it. A long silence stretched into eternity as the pair stared at each other. Eventually, Carrie gathered up the courage to speak.

"I'm so sorry, Peter." Carrie whispered, her head bowed in shame. "I acted like a selfish fool. I should have just let you call the shots – it's your game after all. I know I could've seriously hurt you, and I'm sad and disgusted by how I acted. I have sinned against my Father in heaven and against you, and I repent of that sin and ask your forgiveness. The Bible says we shouldn't go to bed angry with each other, and I need to make this right." She finished, beginning to tear up.

"No – I'm sorry, Carrie." Peter declared, a hint of self-loathing in his voice. "I brought all this on myself. I never had to share my things before, so it was just human nature for me to keep on being in charge. It was wrong of me to hog all the good teams for myself – I should've let you choose first. Hopefully, you can forgive me. I hate myself for treating someone so vulnerable that way."

"Don't say that, Peter!" Carrie begged. "It breaks my heart to hear you talk like that. Hate what you did, but never hate yourself! And of course I forgive you – Jesus says that I must not forgive my neighbour seven times, but seventy-seven. How can I do any less?"

"Well, then, guess I have to do likewise." Peter grinned, awkwardly. Flashing a relieved smile, Carrie took her brother deep in her arms and placed her head on his torso. The sudden, intimate contact made Peter's teeth set on edge as the young superhero froze up.

"Ooooohkaaay…this is happening." Peter stuttered, awkwardly.

"You've been through so much ever since you lost your aunt – you're practically a stranger in your own home." Carrie sighed. "You deserved better from me."

"And you've been through so much in your life, both at school and at home." Peter uttered through gritted teeth. "You deserved better from me. Geroff." At this last word, he pushed himself free from his sister's vice-like grip. After taking a few deep breaths, Peter began to speak.

"Look, I have to admit that, after the initial shock, your powers are pretty freaking awesome." He admitted. "But, it still stung that you would try and hurt me after that whole speech you made about morality and your faith."

"That's where you're wrong, Peter." Carrie declared, solemnly. "Just because I believe in God and Jesus doesn't make me this perfect, holy person, and it certainly doesn't make me more moral than anybody else. I am a flawed, sinful human being, and I have to humble myself before the Lord and confess my sins whenever I transgress His commands, so that I may be reconciled to Him through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and receive the grace of absolution and God's mercy. I meant what I said about forgiveness – Christ's mercy and forgiveness is available to all who seek it with a humble and contrite spirit, and a firm resolve to change their lives." She finished, as she remembered the words of her two newest friends.

Peter began to digest Carrie's words, rolling them around in his head. She had just admitted to him that she made mistakes, like anybody else. She had stated that she was a sinner – someone who broke God's rules. The way she had spoken about sin with his friends had made it very clear that she considered it no laughing matter. He had no earthly idea what a "sacrament" was – he had heard the term maybe once or twice, during his early days at church. He had a mixed relationship with religion – on the one hand, he clearly respected Aunt May's beliefs, diminished though it was by Uncle Ben's murder. He also respected her refusal to force her faith in him. However, this proved to be a double-edged sword. Aunt May's decision not to share her faith served to make church very confusing for Peter whenever the three of them went as a family on Christmas and Easter, the only two times the three of them went as a makeshift family. Peter was flying blind, resulting in him being left with more questions than answers. Questions such as: _What is the Holy Spirit, and why should I believe in it? Why do we move our hands in that funny shape at the start and the end? Why is the priest holding that wafer in the air? Why are twelve year olds drinking wine, even though they're clearly underage?_ Being a very studious, logical individual, Peter prided himself on being able to understand anything. He could not comprehend being unable to understand a complex mathematical equation, never mind how the simple act of raising a piece of bread could inspire such awe and reverence from someone as tough as his Uncle Ben. Thus, Peter came to hate church, seeing it as something he had to suffer through before he got his hands on Christmas presents or Easter eggs.

Peter then remembered a conversation he had with his aunt a couple of years ago, shortly after Uncle Ben's death. She had told him that she and Uncle Ben took him to church in the hope that he would gain some sort of comfort and meaning out of it after being left an orphan. If he had, she would recommend that he be enrolled in some sort of course that would prepare him for baptism. Aunt May explained that the reason she chose not to push the issue was that his parents were atheist, and had included an explicit stipulation in their will that Peter not be indoctrinated into any religion. She obeyed the stipulation out of respect for his parents, leaving it up to Peter to make the choice. As was her way, she invited him to be honest with her. He told her the truth – that he found it tedious and boring.

"Okay." Aunt May had replied. "I won't take you to church again. Now, let's make some popcorn! The Mets game starts in an hour!"

The next time Peter would step foot in a church, would be for her funeral. However, on this occasion the various rites and rituals served as a cause of comfort, instead of confusion and irritation. Despite still not quite understanding the meaning of various parts, he was grateful for the comfort that both the priest and Carrie had tried to offer him. One particular element that moved him was the prayer made before Aunt May was buried: _"Let perpetual light shine upon her."_ He imagined what that might look like – her face bathed in the rays of the sun, as cheerful as she was in life, in the arms of Uncle Ben. He sincerely hoped that that was the case. For the first time, Peter found himself thinking that there might be something bigger than himself in this world.

He returned to the thought of sin. It was true that Aunt May had her vices – such as her predilection for fine wine and cigarettes, ultimately a deadly combination. Also, she could swear with the bawdiest of sailors when the right mood took her. Certainly, Carrie might believe that such behaviour was undesirable when used in excess. In addition, neither of them had covered themselves in glory with their behaviour that afternoon – they had behaved awfully towards each other. Peter also remembered his teasing, borderline bullying behaviour with his web powers towards Carrie. An uncomfortable question began to form in his mind – one that needed to be answered.

"Carrie?" Peter asked, weakly. "Do…do you think I'm a sinner?"

"We're _all _sinners, Peter." Carrie replied, gently. "I'm a sinner. You're a sinner. Mum and Dad are sinners. Steve is a sinner. The Avengers and their rogues are sinners. Our bullies are sinners. My friends from church, college and youth group are sinners. My first friends Sue and Tommy are sinners. MJ, Ned and Betty are sinners. But make no mistake – being a sinner does not mean one is a bad person. It means that one has missed the mark of God's perfect holiness. Only God knows the true heart of a person. I promise you – you will never hear me say to anyone that they are going to hell. The purpose of my walk with Jesus is that I may be made perfect through His grace and attain eternal life."

Peter was actually reassured by this statement. When one took the spiritual element out of it, it essentially boiled down to "nobody's perfect". He could hardly dispute that statement given the events that had transpired earlier. He had long associated sin with fundamentalists who gained attention with provocative statements about how God's judgement would be visited upon a sinful nation, usually in regards to what they saw as the moral decline of society and usually focusing on sex. Hearing that a sin could be something as prosaic as being selfish and possessive made him understand how Carrie could make that statement. But it was her final statement that set his mind racing: eternal life. She had stated her belief that there was something beyond this life they were currently living. The prospect of potentially seeing Aunt May and Uncle Ben again filled him with excitement. Heck, he might even get to meet his parents! However, his excitement dimmed as he remembered Aunt May telling him that his parents were atheist, and he remembered that heaven was a place set aside for the righteous, which was defined by the Christian worldview as one who believed in God. If Carrie's belief in eternal life was true, and his parents were not in heaven, then there was only one other place they could be, and that did not bear thinking about. Quickly, Peter shut the thought out of his mind.

He considered Carrie's current purpose in life – to find balance in her life outside of her religion. This involved her stepping outside her comfort zone and making friends and kinship with people she had not associated with, like Mr. Stark and his friends. He considered how he had actively tried to shut religion out of his life by not wanting to go to church. Maybe it was time he tried to put some balance in his life.

"Carrie? I'd…I'd like to know more about your faith." Peter declared. "My uncle and aunt were believers, but they never told me anything about God or Jesus or anything like that. They probably wanted to respect my parents desire for me not to have religion forced on me, but that meant I had no idea what was going on in church whenever I went. I didn't understand Aunt May was a pretty lax, take-it-easy type of believer, but you seem to be anything but. You clearly take it seriously, judging by your statements on various topics. You're wanting to add more things to that solid foundation – maybe I should get that solid foundation. Uncle Ben had that solid foundation, which he used to give me pearls of wisdom. I want to know more about what made him – and what makes you tick."

"Are you sure?" Carrie inquired, scarcely willing to believe what she had heard. "I can't lie – nothing would make me happier than for you to join me in faith. But I can't force you to do anything – this is your decision, and yours alone. God is not some dictator who will force you to follow him."

"I'm sure." Peter answered, confidently. "If there's a chance that what you said about eternal life is true, I want to take it and get it." Immediately, he felt himself wrapped up in his sister's arms.

"Oh, Peter!" Carrie exclaimed, joyfully. "You have no idea how hard I've prayed for this day! I'm so happy that your heart is open to Jesus! I'm going to teach you all I know about Him and my faith. If you'd like, you can start coming with me to youth group and Mass, so you can see how I practice my faith. I can teach you about what goes on in Mass, so it doesn't seem so confusing and meaningless to you. Would that be something you'd be interested in?"

"Yeah." Peter smiled. "I think I'd like that."

"Do you mind if I pray ?" Carrie asked. When Peter nodded in the affirmative, Carrie bowed her head and took his hands in her own.

"God, I thank you for giving me the gift of Peter, my beloved brother. I thank you for being his comforter during his time of grief and pain. I pray for the safe repose of the souls of his parents and his aunt and uncle. You have worked within him to open his heart to You – I ask that the Holy Spirit continue to work within him and enable him to receive Jesus' eternal message of salvation. I ask that you forgive us for our vain and selfish behaviour today, and help us to place You first in all things. For today and all days, in good times and bad, I give you the honour, the glory, and the praise, forever and ever. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."

She turned towards Peter. "Now, just because we're starting on this first stage of a long journey, with the ultimate goal of you knowing and accepting Jesus, this does NOT mean we can't have fun doing other things, like going to the movies or playing video games. This means that you are simply considering whether to make Jesus the centre of your life, and I will NOT preach to you – I am educating you about what I believe, and why I think it is beneficial for you to do so. I enjoy having fun with you, and I don't want that to change just because we're exploring my faith, okay? It's not going to be all prayer and Bible study, okay?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Peter smiled, as he remembered the good time they had last night.

"Well, guess we had better go and face the music." Carrie grinned, remembering that they still had to be disciplined for their antics earlier. They exited her bedroom and entered into the main living room, where Tony was on the phone to someone. Pepper, Steve and Bruce were sitting together on the couch.

"Yeah, sure, tomorrow's fine. She'll see you then, padre. Later." Hanging up the phone, he turned to face Carrie. "Carrie, I was just talking to your priest. I know there's a process you have to go through when you screw up, so I arranged for some iron-grille FaceTime with you and him tomorrow. But he told me to tell you that he feels you don't need to go to confession for every little mistake you make, and there's a difference between certain things that you need to confess and other things you just need to go to church to be forgiven for."

"How'd you get Father Sean's number?" Carrie asked, confused.

"From one of those news bulletin thingies you bring home." Tony replied.

"I do understand that there is a distinction between venial, or minor sins and mortal, or major sins." Carrie answered. "And, if it had just been an argument, I wouldn't be feeling anywhere near as bad about it as I do, and would not feel the need to confess. But, since it involved the use and abuse of my powers, which could have hurt Peter, it crossed the line from a venial to mortal sin, introducing grave subject matter where there was none previously. It caused a deadly wound to my soul, for which I need healing and restoration of grace through confession and absolution. Don't worry, Dad – I'm not losing sleep over it. I'm just stating facts."

"That's good you're not losing sleep over it." Tony declared. "Which brings me to your punishment."

"For starters, you're both on power probation for one month. This means, absolutely no use of your powers, outside of approved training situations. Now, Carrie, you should have no problem with that. But, Peter, I'm gonna have to ask you to hand over your web gadgets."

"Man!" Peter moaned as he detached the twin web-shooting barrels mounted on his wrists and gave them to Tony.

"Now secondly," Tony pressed on. "You two are going to start doing a lot more chores around the tower. This was actually the Big Red, White and Blue Boy Scout's idea, and I agree with him."

"It seems like you two don't appreciate your free time enough. This will make you appreciate your free time more, and hopefully instil some work ethic in both of you."

"You can start by cleaning all the bathrooms and toilets in the tower from top to bottom. By hand." Tony declared, firmly

"_All _of them?" Carrie exclaimed, disbelieving.

"By _hand_?" Peter interjected, dread filling his stomach.

"But that'll take forever!" The two siblings chorused.

"Yep. You two are going to clean out all the showers, mop all the floors and scrub all the toilets in this place." Tony smiled, satisfied he was getting the desired response. "Oh, and you'll probably have to get down on your hands and knees for some of this. Whilst the concept of chores in and of itself is not a punishment, this particular task most certainly is. You can start with Bruce's en-suite – he had a whole lot of Italian last night, and you know how his stomach gets when that happens."

The looks of horror that crossed Carrie and Peter's faces was proof positive that, yes, they did indeed know how Bruce's stomach got in that situation.

"Ah yes, I do enjoy my lasagna." Bruce smiled. His smile then fell away. "I just don't enjoy what happens when it goes south."

"Eww…" Peter whispered, his nose wrinkling in disgust.

"I think I'm going to be sick…" Carrie mumbled, her hand shooting up to cover her mouth.

"Well, hold it in, Carrie, or you're cleaning that up as well." Tony grinned. "Well, what are you waiting for? Chop chop!" He clapped his hands together. He pointed over to where a pair of mops, along with buckets of hot, soapy water, rubber gloves, disinfectant, toilet cleaner, sanitary wipes and a toilet brush, were waiting. "Your tools await."

Grumbling in protest, the two siblings walked over to the awaiting supplies. Carrie and Peter each put on their own pair of yellow rubber gloves. They also donned an apron each, to make sure no water splashed on their clothes during the task at hand. Each taking a bucket in their hand, they departed the kitchen area. When he was sure they were gone, Tony pumped his fist in triumph.

"Nailed it!" He proclaimed, like he had just hit a pair of clutch free throws.

"Never in doubt." Steve quipped, sarcastically.

"Pep! Pep! I want your answer – A: Did I crush it, or B: Did I crush it?" Tony called to his beloved wife.

"You are _incorrigible_." Pepper giggled, finding Tony's stern parent routine adorable.

"Hey, Mr. Hulk-and-maniac! Did I crush it, _brother?_" Tony quipped, laughing at his bad double entendre.

"Tony Stark exhibiting parental discipline." Bruce murmured in shock. "I'm looking right at it, and I _still_ don't believe it!"

"I'll take that as a yes." Tony grinned, pouring himself a glass of scotch. He then sat down with a look of pure satisfaction on his face. "Man, I parented the absolute shit out of those kids!" He proclaimed. "It's like Mortal Kombat – PARENTAL FATALITY!"

"PHRASING!" Pepper, Steve, and Bruce chorused.

*** TWFAF ***

**Next chapter: We go back in time, as Olivia encounters Chris Hargensen and sees the infamous video for the first time. Later, she tries to make up for her mistake by showing Carrie a night out she will never forget.**


	5. Chapter 5

**First of all, I just want to thank Ybarra87, mariacampos12, chaos-no-kyuubi, DebraLove, Lonelyboy444 and matthorserider40 for taking an interest in this story by getting an alert and leaving a review respectively! This one's for both of you!**

**Why, hello there, guest reviewers, especially Lina and just a guy! You're the first people beside T-Rex to post a review of this story, so thank you! Clearly, you all have a beef with how I had Tony discipline Carrie and Peter for their misbehaviour, so I'll address this. The way I see it, like it or not, Tony and Pepper are now parents. Accordingly, it is their job to raise both Carrie and Peter. This includes correcting them whenever they break the rules. Tony, for the reasons he stated regarding responsible use of powers, wanted to express the serious nature of the situation by discouraging them from further bad behaviour involving their powers. For story reasons, grounding was out of the question, so a punitive assignment was the only option left. Sure, he probably overreacted, but in my opinion it's better that he overreact out of parental love than not react at all. Also, you may have thought that Pepper, Steve and Bruce were laughing at Carrie and Peter's misfortune. That is not the case – they are laughing at Tony acting like the heavyweight champion of the world for doing something as simple as correcting a disobedient child. **

**And "just a guy" and the adjacent guest, he did NOT "treat them like shit" – how many loving parents make their children do chores, whether as punishment or for the upkeep of the house? Discipline is NOT "treating children like shit" – there is a difference, and Carrie should know! Riddle me this – how would you discipline two rowdy children who misused their gift that is meant for the defence of the planet (and in Carrie's case, have been known to KILL PEOPLE in established canon?) Bearing in mind that the legal system or grounding (potential risk for confinement-related PTSD) are off the table, what's left? Are you saying parents should NEVER discipline their children? John Hargensen never disciplined his girl, and I don't think you need me to tell you how that turned out! Likewise, Margaret White disciplined her daughter TOO MUCH, and we see the ill-effects of that. There has to be a happy medium somewhere, as in all things, and I believe tough love (NOT ABUSE) has a role to play. I originally hadn't planned to continue the topic in this chapter, but I see that it merits a response.**

**Polly: Whilst I'm inclined to agree with you, I think Steve was being more of a prick towards Tony than anyone else. And I don't think Tony was being a prick in the first place – I think he was trying his best to be a good parent but made a spectacular balls up, as only Tony Stark can do.**

**Sarah: Wow, a lot to unpack here! Seriously, your's is the most in-depth review I've received yet, on any chapter, and I thank you for it. While I'll agree with you that Carrie has had a hard life, misapplied discipline doesn't even make the top 10 worst things she has had to endure. This shows up in her response to Peter's objections in this chapter. I'm glad you liked how Carrie and Peter kissed and made up – in case you couldn't tell, I'm a major forgiveness guy! Even though it wasn't necessarily influenced by your review, I'll show a more considered and measured approach to discipline in this chapter. That being said, I'd rather a parent in a situation like this overreact and mess up than underreact and risk trivialising the matter. As to the Avengers appearing to condone Tony's actions, that wasn't my intention – they were being sarcastic and disbelieving rather than supportive**

**In summary: whilst I will defend my choice, I realise I failed to properly articulate WHY Tony made that choice, and that's on me. Accordingly, the first part of this chapter addresses that – part fix-it, part explanation, part exposition. After all, I'm kind of like Carrie and Tony – trying to learn and find their way in a new situation/hobby.**

**And matthorserider40, Chris only appears in a flashback in this chapter. To see where she's at in the current timeline, I suggest you read the prequel to this story "This Class Of Rattlesnake" – I imagine you will find it very satisfying.**

"**Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals." 1 Corinthians 15:33**

Chapter 5

Carrie and Peter were putting away the cleaning equipment. They had just spent the afternoon cleaning the bathrooms in Avengers Tower as punishment for putting each other at risk through the careless use of their powers. Not the most pleasant way to spend the afternoon, but one Carrie felt they no doubt deserved. To her surprise, the expected Italian-flavoured horror show never materialised – Bruce's bathroom was surprisingly clean. _Doubtless another example of Dad making a mountain out of a molehill_. Carrie thought, wryly. She definitely had no problem with the act itself – after all, cleaning was one of the milder things she had done whilst under the "care" of Margaret.

Peter, however, was not taking it so well.

After he had finished washing his hands, he stormed over to confront Tony, who was reclining on the couch with a water bottle in his hand.

"Ah! You're done!" Tony exclaimed, magnanimously. Then his tone grew serious. "We need to talk."

"Yeah, we do." Peter agreed. "What the hell, Mr. Stark?!"

"Peter!" Carrie hissed, not wanting him to make a scene.

"Look, me and Carrie screwed up. Big time. We get that." Peter continued. "But that's no reason for you to treat us like crap! Making us clean the whole tower – what's up with that?!"

"If you'll just let me explain…" Tony began, but Peter was having none of it.

"You know what? Maybe we deserved to be punished. But laughing at us _for _getting that punishment? You're no better than Flash!" He fumed.

"Don't say that, Peter!" Carrie urged.

"And why shouldn't I, Carrie?" Peter shot back.

"Because I know he's better than Flash!" Carrie defended. "And he's better than Margaret! He took us in when no one else would! Tell me, Peter. Have you ever been whipped to simulate Jesus' scourging in the Temple, so that I suffered as he suffered? Or burnt with a poker to be prepared for the fires of hell? Or locked in a closet and forced to pray? Because I have! Call me when he starts doing any of those things, and then I'll take your side. But as to the simple act of discipline and being a touch too gleeful over it, just take it easy! He's still learning! Remember the reason he overreacted in the first place?" She finished, in passionate defence of her father.

"Still shouldn't have acted so happy about it, though." Peter muttered, having had some perspective given to him.

Tony, meanwhile, was running an analytical eye over the situation. He truly wasn't happy about having to discipline them – that ran counter to who he was at his core. Tony Stark, disciplinarian? Perish the thought! Contrary to what Peter thought, his overly cheerful attitude was to encourage Carrie and Peter to see this not as a punishment to be endured, but as an opportunity to get to know one another and bond. Perhaps it could have been a story they could laugh and tell their kids one day. But as he cast his mind over the punishment, he remembered the cheerful quip he made about having to clean up her own vomit. He had fucked up there, by making a potential illness into a joking matter.

"Sit down, both of you." Tony instructed. When Carrie and Peter had done so, he began to speak seriously.

"You know that I didn't enjoy having to punish you, right?" He asked the siblings.

"Could have fooled me." Peter groused by way of reply.

"But, I've realised that I was wrong to make it seem like a jaunt in Central Park." He continued. "That's on me, and I'm sorry. But, truth be told, this was the fairest punishment I could think of."

"How do you figure?" Carrie asked, confused. In response, Tony called out to his A.I.

"Friday, show video from the Raft. No audio."

At Tony's command, a video projection appeared in front of them. It was of an imposing structure. Carrie and Peter both recognised it as a prison, as evidenced by the numerous cells with barred doors scattered around. Carrie gasped as she recognised Clint as one of the occupants. He looked terrible, like he hadn't slept or showered for a week. He was wearing a navy blue prison uniform. There were several others scattered around the cells, each wearing the same uniform. But the most enraging and heartbreaking sight of all was that of a young woman with long red hair. She was wrapped in a straitjacket, presumably to control her movements. A metal collar with flashing lights was fixed around her neck. The woman's face wore a look of pure misery.

"That." Steve declared, having observed the events from a distance, "is footage from the Raft. A.k.a: S.H.I.E.L.D's Plan B for wayward superheroes. If you are a super powered person and you are apprehended by the Avengers, you will end up there." As Steve spoke, Carrie caught a distinct note of guilt in his voice.

"Could we wind up there?" Peter asked, nervously.

"Fuck no! Not if I can help it!" Tony exclaimed, horrified by the concept. "As God is my witness, the only way you'll step foot in that place is over our cold, dead bodies! Besides, it's closed down now."

"Why was Clint in there, Steve?" Carrie asked, confused and distressed.

"Long story short, not so long ago, before we met you, there was a time where the Avengers weren't so united." Tony began. "We had just come off a mission in Nigeria, where our carelessness cost some people their lives. The government tried to get us to sign up to the Sokovia Accords, which would effectively place us under the jurisdiction and oversight of the United Nations. The Big Red, White and Blue Boy Scout and I had a disagreement about this and other matters…"

"I know what the Sokovia Accords are, Dad." Carrie stated, remembering the training simulation she had undergone.

"Nice to see you consider perhaps the most powerful super soldier in the world a mere "matter". Steve stated, neutrally.

"Anyway, you know how we get – we don't do compromises." Tony continued. "I wanted to catch this super soldier, Steve here wanted to let him go free."

"Because he's my _friend_." Steve insisted, firmly. "You know that Bucky Barnes and the Winter Soldier are two distinct beings. You know that he was being manipulated by Hydra."

"And that's an excuse to let a superpowered killing machine run around free?" Tony shot back.

"Not run around free." Steve insisted. "Let him be deprogrammed, so that the Winter Soldier no longer exists and he simply becomes James Buchanan Barnes once again. That's what's happening right now, thank God."

"There's more to this, and you know it." Tony insisted, flatly. "Anyway, I'm tabling this topic for another time. Anyway, we both weren't going to budge from our positions. So, we had two sides – my side, which supported the Accords and Cap's side, which opposed them. So, we got together and had a big, knock down, drag em out brawl at a German airport. We made a real mess of the place." He finished, not sounding proud of what had gone on. "A civil war, if you will. That's why it's important to master your powers – it might not just be Peter's room that gets messed up."

"All those people you saw in the Raft fought on my side." Steve continued. "In addition to Clint, there was Scott Lang – Ant Man, who as the name suggests, can shrink himself to the size of an ant. There's Sam Wilson, the Falcon – he's a disabled war vet who made his own personal jet pack so he could fly like his titular bird."

"That sounds amazing!" Carrie exclaimed, feeling inspired by Sam's bravery and tenacity.

"Indeed, it is." Steve smiled. "And that young lady with the collar was Wanda Maximoff a.k.a: The Scarlet Witch. She's a telekinetic, Carrie – just like you. She can also use telepathy and mind control."

Carrie was amazed. There was someone else out there, just like her? Carrie knew that she was by no means alone when it came to her special gifts. However, as far as she knew, she was the only telekinetic on earth. She was excited to discover that there was someone out there who knew what it was like to have this sort of power at their disposal.

"I want to meet her…" Carrie whispered.

"And you will." Steve promised. "When you get your training wheels off." He indicated Ruby, which sat strapped to Carrie's wrist.

"How'd they get out of jail?" Peter wondered.

"With a little help from a friend." Steve responded, slyly.

"And how is it that you're not a wanted fugitive?" Peter pressed on.

"At the time, the Raft was under the oversight of General Thaddeus Ross." Tony began. "Real bastard covered in bastard cream topped with bastard sprinkles. When the jailbreak first happened, Ross told me to arrest Spangles and his cohorts if I ever came across them. However, shortly afterwards, a hacker calling herself "Daughter Of The Panther" claimed to have hacked into the Raft's security cameras and posted video from them online. I have to warn you, it's not pretty. Friday, show the shock footage."

At this, another projection appeared in the room. This video showed Wanda, restrained in her cell. Two guards approached her cell, armed with AK-47's and riot gear. One of the guards appeared to give Wanda an order. To her credit, the redheaded psychic appeared defiant. The first guard then turned to his compatriot and nodded. The second guard then took a small remote device out of his pocket and pressed a button. What happened next both shocked and horrified Carrie and Peter. The flashing lights turned a solid red. Wanda's face then contorted into a look of pain as sparks shot out of four holes around the collar. There was no audio, but there was no need of audio to understand what was going on – the guards were using electroshock equipment to torture her!

Anger then began to course through Carrie's veins. The main object of the anger was this General Ross. She had never met him, but she had heard about him from Bruce. Apparently, he had conducted a campaign of persecution against the Hulk, ostensibly for the sake of public safety, but far more likely due to Bruce's interest in his daughter, Betty. This alone had not endeared Carrie to the man, and seeing two soldiers torture a young woman, apparently on his orders, only stoked that ill feeling. Remembering her words to Peter earlier, she took a deep breath. _Lord, deliver me from my anger, and give me the grace of forgiveness._ She prayed silently. Suddenly, she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. It was Peter.

"What's done is done." He whispered, sadly. Carrie smiled in admiration at her brother's maturity.

"Anyway." Tony continued. "When that got into the public, the Accords were dead in the water. Regardless of whether or not you agree with oversight of the Avengers, the last thing anyone with any ounce of sanity wanted was for that guy to be in charge of all the world's superheroes."

"And Ross himself?" Carrie wondered.

"Dishonourably discharged." Steve answered. "He couldn't command the good ship Lollipop these days, much less an elite fighting force such as the United States Army."

"Thank God for that." Peter declared, genuinely.

"Back to the matter at hand – why I chose the punishment I did." Tony began, changing the subject. "After seeing that video, I can safely assume neither of you want S.H.I.E.L.D. or the police poking about in a random domestic disturbance?" After seeing the two siblings shake their heads, he plowed on. "So, that left two options – grounding or doing jobs around the tower. In order for it to be a fair punishment, both of you had to undergo it. I was going to ground both of you, but decided against it – being kept in a certain space for an extended length of time might bring back Carrie's PTSD from the closet. It wouldn't be fair for me to ground Peter, but not Carrie, so that was the option I chose. The reason I took such a lighthearted approach was because I didn't want you to see this as something to be endured, but an opportunity to bond and foster camaraderie through the shared experience. I call it "the Breakfast Club theory".

"The Breakfast Club theory?" Carrie asked, bemused.

"Yeah, you know, a group of people bond during detention – I.e: while being punished." Tony replied.

"Still didn't have to do it like that." Peter muttered.

"Hey! Why are you picking on me?" Tony protested. "Pep, Bruce and Steve were in on it too!"

"No, we weren't." Steve responded, flatly.

"But, didn't you say I was incredible, Pep?" Tony inquired.

"No, I said you were _incorrigible." _Pepper shot back. "You might want to grab a dictionary and find out what that word actually means."

"_Incorrigible: Of a person's behaviour: unable to be changed or reformed."_ Friday chimed in, helpfully. "_Used in a sentence: Tony Stark is incorrigible when it comes to trumpeting his own greatness."_

"We weren't supporting you disciplining the two kids here." Steve responded. "We were supporting you making a trumpeting, showboating fool out of yourself. Again. So you did what any parent would do – what do you want, a freaking medal?"

"That would be nice." Tony quipped.

"Case in point." Steve shot back.

'So…you all think I'm a fool?" Tony asked, weakly.

"YES!" Pepper and Steve chorused.

"But you're our fool." Carrie smiled. "And I wouldn't have it any other way." Her voice grew serious. "We're sorry, Dad. We both should've been more responsible with our powers. We know what we did could have had terrible consequences, and we're sorry for angering and upsetting you."

"Yeah. I may not agree with how you punished us, but the only reason you had to do so was because we deserved it in the first place." Peter agreed. "We kissed and made up, and we'll be better people in the future."

"Well, for what it's worth, I'm sorry I embarrassed you." Tony responded, stroking his chin. "And I've decided you don't have to do chores if you don't want to. You're both still on probation, though – I have to set some limits." The two siblings nodded in agreement.

"But there has to be some way to pay him back." Peter began, teasingly. "Carrie?"

"Oh yes, there is, Peter." Carrie smirked. "In fact, I know his one weakness – and I don't even need my powers to exploit it!"

"Oh no." Tony whispered, remembering his earlier conversation with Carrie.

"You take him low, I'll take him high!" Carrie exclaimed. At this, she wrapped her hands around Tony's torso in a hug. At the same time, Peter did the same with Tony's legs. Their combined force brought the inventor rolling off the couch he was sitting on. Tony let out a gasp of shock as he fell on the floor. Pepper couldn't help but laugh at the sight of father and siblings rolling around on the floor together.

"Cap! Send assistance!" Tony exclaimed, as the trio wrestled together in a hug..

"Oh no." Steve grinned. "I'm not touching this with a sixty foot pole."

*** TWFAF ***

Meanwhile, on the Lower East Side, an Italian-American teen was contemplating her own misbehaviour, and how to make it right. She clutched a small red box in her hand.

EARLIER THAT WEEK

Olivia sat in a small plastic chair in the church hall at St. Stephen's in the Bronx. In her left hand was a small styrofoam cup full of water. With a shaking hand, she put it to her lips and drank. The cool liquid swirled around in her dry mouth, providing a refreshing sensation. Not that she would notice it though – her mind was still deep in thought from the revelations that had taken place earlier. She had learned that Carrie, her sister in faith and someone she hoped to be able to call her friend, had suffered through the worst kind of childhood imaginable. Tormented daily at the hands of parent and peers alike, every day provided some fresh hell for her to endure.

And she had indirectly played a role in that torment. Not directly, but by association. Not that it made any difference – what she had done was just as immoral and shitty as the behaviour of the bullies themselves. What had this world come to when Tony Stark, the very personification of arrogance and irresponsibility, had done more to welcome and comfort her than someone who regularly volunteered at soup kitchens and youth ministries, striving to live her Catholic faith to the fullest? _Some Christian you are! _She thought to herself, bitterly.

"Livy?" A voice of concern filled the air. Olivia lifted her bloodshot eyes up to see Brianna, Danielle and Renee looking down at her, with their eyes full of concern. "Are you okay?"

"You just found out I aided and abetted bullying of someone in this group, and you're asking if _I'm _okay?" The Italian-American replied, flabbergasted.

"It'll be fine." Brianna offered, placing her hand on Olivia's knee. "You heard Carrie – she forgives you."

"It's not her forgiveness I'm worried about." Olivia shot back, as she remembered just who Carrie was living with, and who she would have to answer to.

"I'm not going to lie – Stark's probably gonna be pissed." Renee observed. "But I doubt Cap will let anything bad happen to you."

"Are you forgetting that Iron Man and Captain America literally tried to kill each other not so long ago?!" Olivia exclaimed, incredulously. "The only reason Cap and his pals aren't still in hiding or prison is because of some anonymous hacker!"

"It's the truth." Renee insisted. "You'll be safe."

"It doesn't matter. I fucked up." Olivia whispered. "Ash was right to bring up my saint name – Mother Cabrini welcomed the immigrant and stranger. She showed them kindness, empathy and a welcoming spirit. When I saw that video for the first time, I was neither kind or empathetic, and Carrie finding out meant I failed to make her feel welcome. 0 for 3 – I'm a regular fucking Met, and a shitty Catholic to boot!" She finished, sadly.

"Don't think like that, Livy!" Danielle urged. "That's the enemy trying to claw his way inside of you. He'll make you feel you're not worthy of God's love, then he'll drive you deeper into despair and self-loathing. Trust me, I've been there."

"You've been in the faith for what, five minutes, and you're trying to give me advice?" Olivia sniped, her internalised guilt making her irritable.

"Not advice." Danielle insisted. "Encouragement. Remember Romans 3:23 – "_For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."_

"Not to pry, but have you been to confession over this?" Brianna inquired.

"Yep. Went when I was at that soccer tournament I mentioned." Was Olivia's response.

"Then you're sweet." Renee smiled, encouragingly. "God has forgiven you, and your sin is as far from you as the east is to the west. Psalm 103."

"Try telling that to my Dad when I come clean to him about all this." Olivia groused. "He'll probably make me go to confession for keeping this from him. After he grounds me, naturally."

"Well, if Renee and I can sit there in that box and confess to our worst moments, than you can confess to this! You really need to take responsibility for this. Besides, you taught Renee and I not to be afraid of confession – you can do this." Danielle encouraged.

"You know what, Dani? You're right. I need to own this." Olivia spoke firmly, determination in her voice. "Thanks for staying, but I don't deserve it."

"Of course you do!" Renee exclaimed. "You were there for both me and Dani when we needed forgiveness. We both poured out our pain and shame and guilt to this group, with weeping and tears, and I wouldn't have blamed you if you had run screaming out of the room. But you took us in our arms and lifted us up, and made us feel part of the Body Of Christ. We aren't going to turn our backs on you now. And you are most certainly NOT a shitty Catholic."

"Oh, thanks you guys! You're so sweet!" Olivia sniffled as she took turns hugging Renee, Danielle and Brianna. Whilst she had always been friends with Brianna dating back to her early school days, she had taken a while to warm up to the first two. They were a motley crew, all right – she inwardly giggled at her terrible pun – but, all social strata were eliminated here. She was a jock, Brianna was an activist, Danielle was a metalhead and an outcast and Renee was a cheerleader, but here in this group, they were all daughters of God. And that made them family, as Ashley rightly pointed out. They all had their struggles, and they were there for one another. Olivia knew, in that moment, that she loved her little, wacky, mixed up, fucked up, youth group family.

"You know what you have to do next, right?" Brianna asked, rhetorically.

"Yeah, you need to make an act of reparation towards Carrie to repair the harm caused by what you did." Danielle urged. "I'm sure you can think of something – after all, you did get me those Metallica tickets for my birthday."

"Yeah, and you took me to see the Flyers at the Garden." Renee added, encouragingly. "You really know how to make people feel welcome, Livy."

"You think so?" Olivia wondered.

"Absolutely!" Brianna encouraged, with a smile. Just then, they heard a loud, honking horn echo through the car park.

"That's my dad. Gotta go face the music. See you soon, guys!" Olivia called as she did a quick mini-hug with the group.

"See you soon, Livy!" Renee farewelled.

"I'm putting you and Carrie's reconciliation in my Rosary intentions tonight!" Danielle called.

"And would that be before or after you completed your nightly Slipknot listening session?" Olivia sassed back.

"I'm not telling!" Danielle laughed, enjoying the banter between the two. With that, Olivia turned and walked over to the black Jeep Cherokee SUV that had just pulled up to the door of the church hall. Behind the wheel was a man who looked to be in his early 50's with a stern visage. A pair of sensible horn-rimmed glasses sat over his eyes. His mostly black hair with slight flecks of grey gave him an air of authority and wisdom. This was Antonio De Rossi – the Lower East Side's finest dentist, and her father.

"_Ciao, _Papa!" Olivia exclaimed in joy as she embraced her father.

"_Ciao,_ Olivia!" Antonio smiled as he returned the gesture. His smile dropped away, however, as he saw her red, puffy eyes. "You've been crying…" He muttered, as he glanced towards the hall. "Who upset you? Was it that girl?" He demanded as he pointed out Danielle, who was still flapping her gums with Renee. His protective paternal instincts had well and truly kicked in.

"No, Papa! She's my friend! She would never do something like that!" Olivia pleaded, not wanting her father to make a scene on her account.

"Hmmm…well, if she is truly your friend, then you should invite her over." Antonio announced, as he turned the car around to drive out of the parking lot.

"As for why I'm crying, the group heard a really emotional testimony tonight. It really affected a lot of people." Olivia spoke, recalling Carrie's horrific story.

"You do seem to have heard quite a few of those during your time in this group." Antonio noted, as he drove onto the Sheridan Expressway.

"Yes. It's horrible to hear about the things some in the group have had to endure, but that's how I know that the Holy Spirit is at work in this group, to bring souls to Jesus and His Church." Olivia declared, with a firm conviction in her heart.

"Anything you'd like to talk about?" Antonio inquired, concerned.

"Maybe when we get home." Olivia replied, noncommittally. "Can you turn the radio on, Papa?" She asked, politely.

"Sure, _tesora."_ Antonio replied, as he turned the radio dial on and the volume on. The radio was on the same station that was always on when the two were alone together in the car – namely, Fan FM, New York City's pre-eminent sports talk station. The car radio had three main stations that were used – the De Rossi matriarch, Francesca, preferred a classical music station, where the great composers such as Mozart, Bach and Vivaldi would fill the car with their sweet harmonies and arrangements. Whenever Olivia's younger sister, Maria, jumped in the car with them, Radio Disney took pride of place. Olivia would tell anyone who listened that whenever she heard the opening bars to "Let It Go", "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" or "How Far I'll Go", she would almost feel compelled to sing along, like Pavlov's singing dog. She had perhaps learned the whole Disney catalogue by heart, such was the frequency with which she had to endure those songs on family vacations. Fan FM was her own personal safe space, where Olivia and Antonio would bond over her number one passion – sports. Used whenever on the way to soccer practice or to youth group, father and daughter would find enjoyment in the hot takes, rash judgements and ill-considered opinions spewed out by New York's finest loudmouths – and occasionally add some of their own. Often, they would cheer with the Yankees, cry with the Giants, or laugh at the Jets and Knicks. Even though the strait laced Antonio would deny it, he secretly enjoyed getting to share in his daughter's interests – he found himself growing closer to his beloved Olivia.

"_Welcome to Nights on 101.9 Fan FM, Your Flagship Station For New York Sports. It's a warm and muggy night in The City That Never Sleeps – 72 in Manhattan, 70 in Brooklyn, 70 in the Bronx, 71 in Queens, 69 in Staten Island and 71 in Newark."_ The announcer drawled. "_To tonight's top story – the Yankees saw off the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-5 in today's matinee at the Stadium, on the back of a three-run eighth inning featuring RBI's to Didi Gregorious, Gleyber Torres and Cameron Maybin. This flipped the script on the D-backs, following a 4-2 win by Arizona in the first of this two-game series. However, the real story came after the game, as Diamondbacks ace Zack Grienke, who went five innings and gave up two earned runs, was traded to the Houston Astros at today's trade deadline. This development has major implications for the Yankees, as they are locked in a tight tussle with the Astros for the number one overall seed in the American League. With the two squads so evenly matched, home-field advantage will prove vital for any playoff series between the two teams. Now, as for me, personally I think this tips things the way of the Astros. Grienke joins established stars Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole to form an extremely formidable trio, sure to cause headaches to lineups around the majors. The switchboard is lit up like the night sky – let's go to the phones! Joey in Washington Heights, you're on the air."_

"_Hey, great to be with you, Mike._" Joey began, in the broadest New York accent Olivia had heard this side of _Goodfellas_. "_You know, I've been hearing all this talk about how Grienke doesn't want to pitch in New York, how the stage is too big for him. Well, you know what? Screw him! Who wouldn't want to pitch in the famous, iconic pinstripes, in the greatest city in the world, in the greatest stadium in the world, in front of the greatest fans in the world? As far as I'm concerned, little baby Zack can go off to Houston and get a nice little farm, where he can strut around in cowboy boots and put on a bad accent, and we'll just keep on building the next big force right here in New York!"_

"_So, you're not worried about the Astros at all, Joey?_" Mike asked, seemingly taken aback at Joey's bullishness. "_I mean, they have three of the best pitchers in the game."_

"_Hell no!" _Joey exclaimed, vehemently. "_The only pitcher of theirs that scares me is Verlander. Let me tell ya something, Mike – what have Cole or Grienke ever done in the postseason? Nothing! Nada! Zip! Bupkis! Cole was the best pitcher on a bad Pittsburgh team, and he got slapped around by Boston in the playoffs last year. As for Grienke, he's 50-50 in the postseason, and had a 7.27 ERA the last time he made the playoffs. In fact, I think the Astros' time is done – Boston figured them out last year, and that's significant because you know how much I hate to say anything nice about that red team."_

"_I do indeed, Joey." _Mike droned, in a tone that indicated that he had heard Joey preach on the topic of the Red Sox many times before.

"_Anyway, the Astros got lucky in 2017, because they came up against the Do-ack! Ack! Agh!"_

"_You okay, Joey?" _Mike asked, concerned that his caller was suffering a medical event. Antonio and Olivia listened to the broadcast in dumbstruck horror. Were they about to listen to a person die on the airwaves?

"_Ach- the Dodgers, sorry about that Mike. I was just doing my best Dodger impression, you know. They're the biggest chokers around. Their choking even caused me to choke! That's how much they choke away the big moments."_

"I should've known it with this buffoon." Antonio grumbled, more in relief than anger.

"_Anyway, we flash forward to this weekend, Mike. The Boston Red Sox, Satan's own team, the Antichrist of this great game of baseball, come to our house for four games."_ Joey declared, his voice building up to a religious fervour. "_Good and evil shall collide right under our very noses, as our guardian angels led by our very own St. Michael, Aaron Judge, rise to defend our home against the forces of hell led by the fearsome arch demon Mookie Betts. Great signs and wonders will fill the sky as cherubim and seraphim Hicks and Lemahieu grab their holy spears and make haste to battle the fell beasts Martinez and Devers. Holy fire will rain from the sky as the heavenly catapulters Paxton, German and Happ take aim at their counterparts from the netherworld Rodriguez, Sale and Price. Chaos will reign in the third game as all hands are called to the pump as the bulls run wild in this bullpen game. New York vs. Boston? No! Think much bigger! It's heaven…vs….hell! Yankee Nation, get to the Stadium, get to a bar, get to a TV – our boys need you this weekend! Until next time, Mike, and, as always, remember the 11__th__ commandment: Boston sucks!"_

A long silence followed Joey's impassioned outburst. Eventually, Mike spoke again, dumbfounded.

"_Well. That was a…riveting sermon from Father Joey."_ Mike deadpanned. "_No need for church on Sunday – you've got all the religion you need for the week right there."_

"Do you have something to say about that, Olivia?" Antonio inquired, wanting to get his daughters opinion on the rant they had just heard. However, he saw her staring out the window, her eyes glazed over and lost in thought.

"Olivia?" He repeated, trying to get her attention. Nothing could get her out of her reverie, however. As she stared out the window, her mind was focused solely on one person, and it certainly wasn't Joey from Washington Heights.

It was Carrie.

Carrie, whom she so longed to make her friend.

Carrie, whose smile lit up that church hall during the Q and A..

Carrie, who found her way into the hearts of her friends.

Carrie, who had suffered so much in her short time on this earth.

Carrie, whom she had cruelly mocked and belittled.

Sorrow and shame filled Olivia's heart as she cast her mind back a further 16 months, to when her JV soccer team took a road trip to the Pine Tree State to participate in a tournament in Portland, Maine. In order to acclimatise, they held a training camp in a small town just outside Bangor. The name of that town was Chamberlain. And that was where all the trouble started.

**15 MONTHS AGO**

**Olivia found herself standing in the middle of a soccer field. She was surrounded by her compatriots, all of whom were wearing the black with orange trim uniform of Midtown High's Tigers. They had been given a unique invitation – they would take on teams from New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine itself in a tournament known as the Pine Tree Cup. As none of the players on Midtown's JV squad had set foot in the state before, much less played a game there, the decision was made to hold a mini-camp in the state to acclimatise and adjust to this new venue. The location for this camp was Ewen High School, which was located in Chamberlain, an hour east of Bangor, on the road towards the border with Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Members of the squad would be billeted with local families, so that these big city girls could experience a taste of small town hospitality.**

"**Okay. We're going to hold a slalom shooting drill." The coach, a tall man with brown hair and a whistle around his neck instructed. He pointed out a line of orange cones that stood in front of the assembled team. "Each one of you is going to curve the ball through the cones, like a slalom, and then try to beat Wilkinson in goal." He then pointed towards Lisa Wilkinson, a wiry 15 year old with jet black hair and wearing a blue goalkeepers jersey. "This is supposed to help you beat defenders and get good shots off – doesn't matter if it goes in or not. De Rossi, you first." **

**Olivia placed her foot over the yellow soccer ball, her red and black Adidas Predator cleats marking her spot on the turf. She took the ball and dribbled it straight ahead. Olivia curled the ball right to left around the first cone, dribbling with her right foot then stopping it with her left to ensure it did not go "out of bounds". She would repeat this process with the other five cones in the slalom, alternated dribbling and trapping with both her feet. After she had passed through the last cone, she looked up and saw Lisa crouching in anticipation in goal. Olivia brought back her right foot and fired off a shot that looked as though it was destined for the top left hand corner of the goal. However, Lisa flung herself across at full stretch and managed to deflect it away at the last moment. Outwardly, Olivia threw her head back in frustration at being denied. Inwardly, however, she was ecstatic – she knew the whole squad had to be on the same page if they were to stand a chance in the Pine Tree Cup.**

**The coach appeared to be pleased with their effort as well. "De Rossi, you forced a corner. And Wilkinson, you stopped a high danger shot. Good job by the both of you."**

**After the rest of the squad had underwent the drill, the coach assembled the squad to sit in a circle.**

"**Okay, we need to finalise the formation for Friday's scrimmage against Ewen High." The coach began. "I'm thinking we should go with a 4-4-2. It's been a tried and tested formation for us this season, and it's what we'll probably use in the Cup proper."**

**At this, Olivia's hand shot up. "Yes, De Rossi?" The coach inquired.**

"**Well, Coach, I was actually thinking maybe we should go with a 3-4-3." Olivia explained. "This would give us a chance to experiment with a more attacking formation before the tournament. This game doesn't count for anything, so it's not like we'll need the extra defence. Besides, they'll probably have scouted us expecting a 4-4-2, so maybe we can spring a surprise on them. If it doesn't work, then we can go back to the 4-4-2 for the tournament proper."**

**The coach considered Olivia's words carefully. She had always displayed a feisty competitive streak and a keen mind for strategy, so much so that he had made her his vice-captain. She and the captain, Stella Anderson, had developed a close working relationship and would regularly discuss tactics with one another. Those girls were going to do big things one day, that much he was sure of.**

"**Anderson? What do you think?" The coach asked, indicating a redhead with blue eyes. After a long pause, Stella finally spoke.**

"**I think Livy has a point, coach." She replied. "There may be games where the more attacking formation can be useful. Like she said, it's no skin off our ass if it fails here. Better to test it out here and find out for sure."**

**The coach nodded, his mind made up. "Okay. You just volunteered to be the third forward. Don't make me regret this gamble, De Rossi."**

"**Thank you, coach. I won't." Olivia smiled, excited to be given this opportunity. She was to be moved from her usual midfield role to the forward line, and she couldn't wait to prove herself.**

"**So, then. With that adjustment made, here's the team for the scrimmage. The starting XI is: Wilkinson as goalie, Hutton, Peralta and Ximenez as the back three, Volkova, Anderson, Jenkins and Martin in the midfield, and Hayes, De Rossi and Burns up front. On the bench are De La Salle, Ware, Asamoah, Andrews, Hyland, Holland and Berger the reserve goalie."**

**As the squad wrapped up practice and began to walk back to the locker room to get changed, Olivia, Stella and Lisa began to talk among themselves.**

"**So, you excited for this opportunity?" Stella asked Olivia.**

"**Yep!" Olivia replied. "It's a big responsibility to play up front. It means a lot to me that you trusted me with this opportunity." She then turned to Lisa. "I swear I'll get you back for that save, Lisa!"**

"**Yeah, in FIFA, because that's the only place where you can beat me, Livy!" Lisa joked. The three girls began to laugh amongst each other, enjoying the camaraderie that was developing amongst the team. As they entered the Ewen High School gym, they headed towards the changing rooms, which were linked to the school's swimming pool. However, what they saw stopped them in their tracks – literally. In front of the girls changing room were a pair of orange safety cones, with a line of tape crossing between them. On the door of the closed room was the notice: CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE.**

"**The fuck…?" Olivia muttered, as she took in the sight. After casting their eyes around for a bit, they saw a man pushing a cart full of mops and other cleaning equipment – presumably the janitor.**

"**Excuse me!" Stella interjected, gaining the janitor's attention. "What's going on?"**

"**Can't you read?" The janitor sniped. "The changing room's closed."**

"**But why?" Stella persisted, ignoring his rude tone.**

"**A class made a mess in there." The janitor replied. "Or, more accurately, one person – some silly bitch got her period and freaked out. She didn't know how to use a tampon, and she got her blood all over the shower floor. It has to be cleaned, so it's closed."**

"**But we need to get changed!" Olivia complained.**

"**The gym teacher has set aside an empty classroom for your use. You can get changed in there." The janitor replied. Grumbling, the Midtown squad took their gear out of the nearby lockers and walked the small distance to the temporary changing room. Olivia thought that this was a trick on the part of Ewen High, to try and unsettle the Midtown team. After all, psychological warfare was not without precedent in sports – the old Boston Garden would famously make sure visiting teams only showered with cold water. Athletes had their superstitions and routines – Michael Jordan always wore the same pair of lucky shorts throughout his career. Jason Giambi had his golden thong. Serena Williams wears the same pair of socks throughout a tournament, to maintain a sense of routine. Having dismissed the sense of foul play on the part of Ewen, Olivia reflected that her own routines were nowhere near as extravagant, but she did like her routine and a lack of interruption to it. Suddenly, Olivia found herself not feeling in a charitable mood towards this girl who forced her outside of her routine.**

**After they had gotten changed, Olivia grabbed a small piece of paper. On that paper was written the name of the family she would stay with for the week. Her host parent was a John Hargensen. Olivia found herself intrigued by the surname – was it Swedish? Danish? Ignoring the fact that this appeared to be a single parent, she was interested in seeing what this man was like. When she arrived at the address, she looked up at the house. On the surface it looked like a standard middle-class home, but two things stood out to her. One: the sleek Audi that was parked in the driveway. Two: the swimming pool in the backyard. **_**So much for small town hospitality.**_** Olivia thought. **_**I could see a place like this in the Hamptons. **_**She rang the doorbell and awaited the answer. Eventually, a man wearing a smart dress shirt and tie answered the door.**

"**Excuse me. Are you John Hargensen?" Olivia inquired.**

"**Who wants to know?" The man replied, neutrally.**

"**I'm your billet from New York." Olivia replied, showing him the piece of paper she was holding. As he took it, a look of realisation crossed his face.**

"**Ah! Yes, yes, I remember now! You're here for some soccer thing, right?" He asked**

"**That's right." Olivia replied.**

"**Yes, my daughter's been excited to meet someone from the big cities for a while." He declared. "In that case, I am John Hargensen. It's nice to meet you, Olivia Drossi."**

"**It's 'De Rossi'. Two separate words." Olivia corrected.**

"**Well, whatever your name is, you're welcome here." John responded. "Do you need help with your bags?"**

"**No, no, I'm fine." Olivia insisted as she picked up the bag containing her soccer gear and her clothes. Entering the house, she looked around and took in the sights. A staircase marked the path to the next storey. A large TV sat on a wall in the sitting room. A vase of flowers sat on a table, surrounding by a couch and a couple of La-Z-Boy chairs. There was a mantelpiece with photos of what she could only assume was the Hargensen family. In other words, it was just like her house, with a distinct lack of Catholic iconography. Not that she was one to judge or care.**

"**Is this your family?" Olivia inquired, as she picked up a photo of John, together with whom she could only assume were his wife (ex? Olivia thought to herself) and daughter. The girl had hair as black as night, a slight tan to her skin and one of those annoying smiles that looked like it was actually a smirk.**

"**That's my Chris." John smiled as he stood next to her. "Well, Christina, actually, but everybody calls her Chris. And that's…or rather, was…my wife, Gemma. She's not in the picture."**

"**I'm sorry." Olivia stammered, having stumbled upon a sensitive topic.**

"**Don't be." John declared, bluntly. "She was a cheater and a hypocrite. Chris and I are happier together anyway." Having put the topic to bed for good, he continued. "So, tell me more about yourself, Olivia. Where do you live?"**

"**I live on the Lower East Side, close to Little Italy. My dad's a dentist. But I wasn't born in New York – my family came here from Italy when I was little." Olivia explained.**

"**I thought I detected an accent." John deduced. "Where in Italy, if you don't mind my asking?"**

"**Turin." Was Olivia's brief answer.**

"**Ah! Piedmont, near the Alps!" John exclaimed. "I'm actually planning to take Chrissy on a skiing trip there as a graduation present."**

"**You really should. It's such a beautiful place." Olivia smiled, reminiscing about her birth place. "Could I have a glass of water, Mr. Hargensen? I'm parched after practice today."**

"**Sure, and call me John. Mr. Hargensen was my father." John answered, as he went and got a glass for her. As she drank the water, John questioned her. "So, what exactly brings you here? I know you're with your soccer team."**

"**We're actually on the way to a tournament in Portland." Olivia answered. "None of us have ever been here before, so we're having a training camp here to adjust to conditions, ending with a game against the Ewen High team on Friday."**

"**Well, you'll forgive me if I don't wish you luck for that particular game – Chris actually goes there." John replied, honestly. "But I do wish you luck for the tournament, Olivia. Now why don't you go make yourself at home in the guest room? It's on the top storey, third door on the left."**

**Olivia made her way up the staircase. The first door on the left was a closet. The second door had a nauseatingly pink sign on the door. On the sign was written the word CHRIS in frilly letters – this must be the daughter's room, then. She opened the third door – she saw a single bed on the far side of the room, with a mirror and settee directly opposite from it. She placed her bags on the bed and began to sort her clothes and soccer gear into neat piles. When she had done this, she picked up her soccer ball, a yellow Nike ball, and began to toss it up and down into her hands, an exercise to keep her mind sharp and relieve boredom.**

**Eventually, she heard a trio of voices through the walls of her room. The two female voices were shrill and had a note of glee to them, whilst the lone male voice appeared aloof and above it all, a hint of rebel hidden within.**

"**Look at me, Chris! I'm Creepy Carrie! Waaaahhhhh, I'm dying!" The first voice mocked.**

"**That is hilarious, Teenie!" The second voice exulted, clearly laughing at the comedic expression.**

"**Did she really say that?!" The third voice interjected. "Oh man!"**

**Curious, Olivia poked her head out to see what all the fuss was about. She saw the trio huddled around a phone, laughing at whatever was on it. The first girl was the same girl from the photo, making her the Hargensen daughter, Chris. The girl with her had significantly longer hair and was wearing a yellow T-shirt. The boy was wearing a leather jacket and ripped jeans. So, he looked every bit the bad boy rebel she had imagined from his voice. The long-haired girl looked up from the phone and saw Olivia standing there.**

"**AHHHH!" She shrieked in surprise. "Who the fuck are you?!"**

**As Chris and the boy looked up, a expression of recognition formed on her face. "Don't be so dramatic, Tina!" She exclaimed. "You heard Dad – this is the New Yorker that's staying with us for the week. Olivia, right?"**

"**That's my name, don't wear it out!" Olivia smiled, as she shook her temporary housemate's hands.**

"**Anyway, this is Tina, my BFF, and Billy, my boyfriend." Chris introduced. After more shaking of hands, Billy spoke up.**

"**Gotta go, babe. I told Jack I'd give him a lift after football practice." He declared.**

"**Oh, come on, stay a while! Not until you've seen this!" Chris pleaded with Billy, in a wheedling tone. She held up her cellphone, indicating that what she wanted Billy to see was on it, she then turned to Olivia. "You have to see this too! It's the funniest shit ever!"**

"**Was wondering what the big dramatic production was all about." Olivia admitted.**

"**Take a look at this!" Tina exclaimed. She pressed play on the video. She saw a girl with a towel covering her body to protect her modesty. Her blonde hair was wet and matted down from the shower that she was in. She had a look of pure terror on her face, and she was crying. Olivia frowned – whilst she could be a bit of a bitch on the sports field due to her highly competitive nature, she always embraced and kissed her opponents after a match, to let them know she loved and respected them as fellow human beings. She couldn't quite see how she was supposed to find humour in a girl in such distress. Then she heard a voice on the video.**

"_**It's just your period." **_**The voice, which she recognised as belonging to Chris, spoke. "**_**Here – plug it up."**_** She then tossed an object that Olivia recognised as a tampon in her direction. However, what happened next changed her perception of events entirely. The girl let out a scream of terror and shrunk back in fright – not from any visible threat, but from the tampon itself. Olivia blinked, as if she couldn't believe what she saw.**

"**Did…did she just run away from the tampon?!" She exclaimed.**

"**Yeah!" Chris cackled. "She's too ignorant to know about that sort of thing. But that's Crazy Carrie for you!"**

**Olivia thought about her own background. Her parents were devout, highly traditional Catholics who adhered as much as possible to the Church's teachings on sexuality and the human body. This meant no sex before marriage, no boys until she was 18 and **_**definitely **_**no girls. With that being said, her mother took great care to ensure she knew what to do whenever Aunt Flo came by for a visit. She remembered her first period at the age of 13 – she recognised the blood for what it was and told her mother straight away. With all the patience of a saint, she explained to Olivia how to use and dispose of the tampon. She also remembered the first time she bought her own box of the things – she recalled entering the CVS pharmacy, stealing the odd glance to make sure nobody saw her. She remembered approaching the counter, her face as red as a tomato, and asking where the tampons were, in the same tone one inquired as to the whereabouts of a Playboy magazine. Embarrassing, maybe, but not scary.**

**She then returned to the video. The girl's hysterical response seem to have lit a fire under the other girls as they began tossing tampons in her direction. **_**"Plug it up! Plug it up!" **_**They changed in a manner reminiscent of several hazing scenes Olivia had watched in several films and TV shows. Evidently, this was the reason the girls locker room was closed. Then came words from the girl that pushed Olivia over the edge. "**_**Help me! I'm dying**_**!"**

**A mixture of exasperation and incredulity filled the Italian-American's heart. She had to get changed in a classroom, risk getting perved on by the boys at Ewen High, and suffered disruption to her preparation and routine, all because this girl, who looked old enough to know better, didn't even know what her own body did? She wouldn't read about this, never in a million years! At that point, Olivia did the only thing she felt like she could do – she began to laugh.**

"**Oh wow!" She laughed, her hand covering her mouth. "That stupid girl doesn't know what a period is! She doesn't even know what a tampon is! She's scared of paper! What a retard!"**

"**I know, right?" Tina agreed. "She probably thinks it's a sin or something. We just tried to help her. Yeah, maybe it veered into hazing, but it's not our fault she doesn't know her own body. Wouldn't surprise me if she thinks she's cursed – she's a real religious freak."**

**Those words stopped Olivia in her tracks. "You do know I'm Catholic, right?" She asked, raising her eyebrow.**

"**So?" Chris responded. "You don't go around telling people they're going to hell, right? Because that's what she and her mother both do."**

"**Well, no." Olivia admitted.**

"**Then you've got nothing to worry about." Chris spoke, showing off that weird smile/smirk combination Olivia had seen in the picture.**

"**Yeah, we don't hate religious people." Tina agreed. "I'm not a believer, but I have a number of friends that go to church. This whole thing with Carrie and her mother is different. They live alone in this big house at the top of the hill and shut themselves off from the world. It's creepy. Like some Waco shit."**

"**Hey, you know what, Teenie?" Chris asked, her voice full of glee. "Let's put this on Youtube!"**

**As the trio cackled together, Olivia stood and stared off into the distance. Outwardly, she had approved of what they had done by laughing at the seeming naïveté of the girl in the video. Inwardly, though, she was facing a real battle – a battle of her conscience. Good thoughts and bad, angels and devils, fought for control of her soul.**

_**Wake up, Livy! **_**Her angel seemed to scream. **_**Can't you see they're torturing the poor girl? She's screaming! She's crying! What the fuck is wrong with you?! Do something!**_

**Then came the voice of her devil, clear and calm.**

_**Eh, wouldn't do that if I were you. For starters, it's three on one – you'll never be able to get the phone away from them. Not while the leather-clad man of mystery is here. Second, haven't you noticed how rich her father is? He probably makes more in a month than your dad makes in a year! You don't think he's gonna use his clout to make sure the brash big city girl that attacked his sweet, innocent small town daughter gets punished? You'll get expelled – at best. Do you really want Maria to have to see you in juvie? Because that's the worst case scenario. Is it worth it for someone you've never meet and probably never will? Besides, you have to live with this girl for a week – best not to rock the boat.**_

"**Olivia?" Shaking out of her trance, the Italian-American noticed Chris, Tina and Billy staring at her.**

"**Huh?" Olivia asked, shaking her head in confusion.**

"**I said: Do you think we should post this?" Chris inquired.**

_**Go on! Stand up to this bitch! **_**Her angel urged. **_**You can't allow this to happen! It's fucking wrong!**_

_**Expulsion. Juvie. Don't rock the boat. **_**Her devil chided.**

**Eventually, she made her decision.**

"**I'm not the boss of you." Olivia shrugged. "You can do what you want."**

"**Let's do it!" Chris laughed, as she began the progress of uploading the video. She, Tina and Billy discussed amongst themselves. Tina griped about the possibility of being seen, and they made several bad blood-related puns about the girl's interests. Meanwhile, Olivia was walking back to the room, her conscience still at war.**

_**Coward. **_**Her angel reprimanded.**

_**Don't think like that. You're here to play soccer – not be the tampon police. Just give it a week, and you'll never think about this again. **_**Her devil applauded.**

**Eventually, Friday arrived, and the Tigers put on their game-faces for the match-up against Ewen. Hosting a team from New York was seen as a major badge of honour and a source of civil pride for the sleepy town, and they showed it by cheering on the Ewen High team as they walked out in their yellow jerseys alongside the Tigers in their black and orange. After the teams had shaken hands and exchanged tokens, the referee put the whistle to his lips and the game began. The crowd cheered in excitement as the ball was kicked off. This excitement intensified after five minutes when Ewen High converted off a corner to give them a 1-0 lead.**

**That was as good as it would get for the home side.**

**The rest of the half belonged to Midtown as their more attacking formation heaped pressure on Ewen. Whilst the 3-4-3 could sometimes act as a double-edged sword, due to the midfielders having to quickly switch between attack and defence, causing them to get caught on the break, which resulted in them conceding the corner that led to the first goal, the sheer numbers that Midtown were able to use confused and overwhelmed Ewen's defence. The first goal was an example of dribbling and passing at work, as Midtown were eventually able to winkle out a gap in the defence, where they were able to play Stella through and get on the board at 1-1 after 17 minutes. In the 26****th**** minute, Olivia got her first opportunity when Midtown won a corner. Rising above the defence, she was able to head it down into the net to give Midtown a 2-1 advantage. A goal from Emily Hayes the left winger made it 3-1 at halftime. By now, Ewen's vocal support was beginning to fade, having got a taste of what they were up against.**

**But it was the fourth goal that Olivia would cherish most from this game. Four minutes after halftime, she ran onto a ball from Nadia Volkova in the midfield, which put her one on one with the last defender. She skilfully dribbled around the defender, then took aim at the goalkeeper. Cocking her right boot back, she blasted an absolute thunderbolt of a shot right by the keeper. The ball thudded into the back of the net, making the orange material flutter. Olivia let out a scream of delight as she ran over to the corner flag, punched the air and kissed the Midtown Tiger badge on her jersey. She was mobbed with hugs by Nadia, Stella and Emily as they celebrated together. It was 4-1, and the Tigers were well and truly in control.**

**A rare opportunity arose in the 60****th**** minute. A tussle in the penalty area resulted in Emily being bought down. The referee immediately blew his whistle and pointed to the spot, signalling a PK. Stella then beckoned Olivia over to the spot.**

"**Your shot, Livy." She told her simply.**

**Olivia knew exactly what was on the line here. She had scored goals before. However, having already gotten two today, she knew this was for one of the most distinctive honours in the game – a hat-trick, which would be her first. She took several deep breaths and said a silent prayer as she lined up the shot. The Ewen goalkeeper bounced up and down on the goal line, eager to make amends for the first time she was beaten. The whistle blew. Olivia ran in and sent the the keeper the wrong way – the keeper went right and the ball went left as it nestled in the bottom left hand corner of the net. It was 5-1 Midtown, and Olivia had just gotten her first hat-trick! The Italian-American made the Sign Of The Cross and pointed to the sky, tears in her eyes at her achievement. **

**The entire Midtown squad mobbed her in jubilation. With the game secure, the coach saw fit to ring the changes, bringing in a swathe of substitutions and allowing Olivia to exit the game. The crowd rose as one to applaud the Italian-Americans efforts. She shook hands with the coach and sat down on the bench, basking in her moment. Two more goals wrapped the game up as Midtown triumphed 7-1. A good result for the Tigers headed into the tournament, but it was clear to all concerned that Ewen High were overmatched from the get-go. After the game, she approached Chris and Tina, who were seated in the stands.**

"**Sorry about the score." Olivia began, a sheepish note in her voice.**

"**Don't be." Chris dismissed. "We know our soccer team's shit – this was just an excuse for us to cut class."**

"**And it was worth it too!" Tina added. "Just think Chris, you'll be able to boast about how you had the next Alex Morgan stay with you for a week!"**

**Olivia's heart – and ego – swelled with pride. She had just been compared to one of the best women's soccer players on the face of the earth! She had long admired Morgan from afar, as she had watched the US women's team and their exploits at various Olympic tournaments and World Cups, and longed to be like her someday. To be compared to her at such a young age was an indescribable honour.**

"**You…you think I can be as good as Alex?" Olivia stuttered, unable to believe what she had heard.**

"**Fuck yeah!" Chris replied, enthusiastically.**

**It was with this farewell that Olivia departed Chamberlain and set her sights for Portland, along with the team and their teacher/parent chaperones. Unfortunately, her parents were unable to make it, not wanting to put her father out of work nor Maria out of school, but she had spoken to them via Skype and described her achievement. They were, naturally, full of praise and pride for their daughter, with Maria providing the most emphatic and joyful assessment of the hat-trick: "When I grow up, I want to be just like you!" This had melted Olivia's heart, and had left her on an emotional high through the week, as they prepared for the Pine Tree Cup. However, the day before their first game, a spanner was thrown in the works.**

**It started when Olivia saw Stella, Lisa and Emily watching a video on a phone. "Holy shit! Who would've thought that could happen in this part of the world?!" Lisa exclaimed.**

"**What's going on?" Olivia inquired.**

"**The Avengers were called here to Maine! Actually, they were called to the school we warmed up at, look!" Emily urged, thrusting the phone under Olivia's nose. A news report played in the screen.**

"_**Our top story on WMTW Channel 8 News: A high school prom in the small town of Chamberlain was saved from a deadly attack by the Avengers. Sean Maher, a convicted murderer who was serving a life sentence in the state of New York for a killing spree in Albany in 2010, escaped from Attica Correctional Facility and made his way to Syracuse. He broke into a Stark Industries warehouse in the city, killing the guards and hijacking a prototype suit of armour, similar to that worn by Tony Stark a.k.a: Iron Man. Using this technology, Maher terrorised towns in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine before setting his sights on the prom at Chamberlain's Ewen High School. The school's gymnasium was the scene of a pitched battle between Maher and the Avengers, who appeared to be aided by a new member according to eyewitnesses. However, these accounts have yet to be corroborated. Eventually, Maher was subdued by the Avengers and taken into custody. It is believed that he will be sent to the Florence ADX supermax prison in Colorado.**_

_**In a related story, WMTW has learned that a Ewen High student was arrested for endangering public safety at that same prom. The student in question has been identified as Christina Hargensen."**_

"**Hargensen? Isn't that the family you stayed with?" Stella inquired.**

"**Yeah…" Olivia whispered, unable to quite believe what she was hearing. The report continued.**

"_**Hargensen, aged 17, was arrested with her boyfriend, Billy Nolan, after they were spotted acting suspiciously around the gymnasium's lighting rig. Whilst the arrest is not thought to be related to Maher's attack, Hargensen and Nolan are alleged to have planned a public humiliation of an unnamed student as part of a campaign of bullying and harassment. In addition, YouTube has confirmed they have suspended an account belonging to Hargensen after it uploaded a video purporting to show a group of girls assaulting someone who is alleged to be that same unnamed student with tampons in the shower, while the girl appeared to be distressed over her period."**_

**Stella, Lisa and Emily all looked disgusted by the details of what had transpired.**

"**That's appalling! That poor girl!" Stella exclaimed.**

"**Yeah, only a total fucking bitch would find that funny." Emily agreed.**

"**Yeah…total fucking bitch…" Olivia muttered, realising just what video they were talking about. The reporter pressed on.**

"_**Staying with Chamberlain but an unrelated story, a local woman has been arrested for child abuse. Margaret White, widely known in the community for her eccentric religious views, was detained after she reportedly tried to stab her daughter, who had just gotten out of hospital after sustaining injuries during the prom battle. White stands accused of several counts of physical and psychological acts of abuse against her daughter over a seven year period. According to locals, White regularly denounced the population of the town as sinners and had a legal battle with the State Board Of Education over the schooling of her daughter, whom she had homeschooled for several years. Whilst we cannot name the daughter for legal reasons, people who spoke to WMTW described the daughter as being like a fish out of water, not familiar with many modern inventions."**_

"**Who would've thought that so much fucked up shit could happen in one small town?" Lisa wondered. She turned to face Olivia, who was looking pale.**

"**Livy? You okay?" She asked, concerned.**

"**Yeah…I just have to go to the bathroom." The Italian-American responded, as she bolted for the bathroom of the hostel they were staying in. Once she got there, she crouched beside the sink. Olivia began to hyperventilate as the reality of the situation set in. She, contrary to her original views, had not laughed at a naïve willing shut in, but a traumatised, victimised girl. It was not too much of a stretch to connect the two reports and conclude the girl in the video and the unnamed abuse survivor were one and the same. Remembering Tina's words, she realised that this girls fear was not motivated by blind naïveté, but by genuine terror. She remembered a bible verse she had been taught during her childhood from 1 John 3:15: "**_**Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him."**_** Sure, she hadn't thrown the tampons herself, but she had helped those…**_**evil **_**people murder her reputation. In addition, she had used a slur against the poor girl, making her guilty of bigotry. Besides being objectively shitty and immoral acts, bullying and bigotry were major league sins.**

**Olivia had always had a complicated relationship with her religion. As a child, she often viewed the prayers and sacraments of the church as a source of constancy and comfort. Her Confirmation and First Communion was the happiest night of her young life, as her nine year old self struggled to get the smile off her face as her family fussed over her in her white dress, However, that ran up against natural teenage rebellion and the influence of society – part of her was bugged by the Church's constant opposition to gay marriage and contraception. This was more so after she left her Catholic K-12 school and began to attend Midtown High, where she encountered a diversity of opinions on those topics. She couldn't see how any of these public stances had anything to do with loving your neighbour – the most simple message of Christ. In addition, it seemed like every day some new piece of corruption or abuse related scandal came out concerning the Catholic hierarchy, eroding her trust of priests. This resulted in Olivia becoming disenchanted with the faith of her family. Sure, she still prayed and went to church, but it was more of a force of habit than any genuine religious conviction. As a result, Olivia often found herself bored with Father Sean's homilies and would often count the minutes until Mass was over, not bothering to look him in the eye as they exited. One such example was her rolling her eyes at the beatitude "**_**Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth" **_**– Olivia thought that Jesus had clearly never stepped foot in any given modern day sporting event. **

**However, her disregard for the tenets of her faith landed her in deep shit. Her skepticism and distrust of certain aspects of the Catholic Church had led her to throw the baby out with the bath water by losing regard for the ultimate message of Jesus – "**_**Love one another, just as I have loved you."**_** Olivia saw what a lack of that love had looked like on display with that video, and she laughed and cheered them on. Regardless of which prism one viewed her actions through, Olivia did not look good – she was a crappy human being at best, and a damned sinner at worst. Olivia knew that she deserved nothing less than the eternal fire of hell for what she had done. She felt disgusted with herself for acting in that way, remorse for uttering that vile slur and heartbroken for the poor girl who had to endure so much. Even her team-mates could see that what went on was wrong – why couldn't she?**

_**Ah yes. Now you realise what you've done. **_**Her conscience reprimanded. **_**You know what you have to do.**_** Olivia broke down and began to cry, covering her mouth with her hands to muffle the noise of her sobs. She resolved to confess this sin as soon as possible to get it off her chest. She cried for the sake of her own soul, and prayed for mercy she didn't deserve. She cried for that scared little girl, and hoped she had something approximating peace and comfort. She cried for Maria, who had begun to idolise her. She would be better off following the example of almost anybody else on the earth – she was a poor role model, and that was putting it mildly. But most of all, she cried for her own busted moral compass that allowed her to sink to this level in the first place. She was a bully. A fucking bully. And that made her sick.**

**Just then, a loud knock sounded at the door. "Finish up in there, Livy! Some of us need to use the bathroom as well!" Emily yelled.**

"**Just finishing up now!" Olivia called, in a wavering voice. She wiped her eyes wildly as she ran the faucet to make it sound like she was washing her hands. She stormed out of the bathroom, with her eyes lowered to the floor as she ignored the concerned calls of her team-mates. Having arrived back in her sleeping quarters, she barricaded the door and slumped down on her bed. She then repeated to herself the words her conscience first alarmed her with at the Hargensen house.**

"**What the fuck is wrong with me?" Olivia whispered, tears running down her cheeks.**

**The day dawned of Midtown's first game at the Pine Tree Cup, against a team from Springfield, Massachusetts. Despite being asked several times if she was okay, Olivia rebuffed the attentions of her coach and team-mates and assured them she was fine. Even though she wanted to scream out that no, she was NOT fine, she didn't want to draw attention to herself nor have to admit the reason for her state of mind. And so it came to pass that as Midtown and Springfield walked out onto the field, Midtown in their black and orange and Springfield in forest green, that Olivia's mind was anywhere but on the game in front of her. The whistle blew, and the game kicked off.**

**If Olivia's game against Ewen was like **_**The Godfather 2**_**, then her game against Springfield was like **_**The Godfather 3**_**.**

**As she took on a Springfield defender after 10 minutes, Olivia shifted the ball side to side, trying to outfox the defender. However, her clouded mind caused her to take her eye off the defender for a split second. The Springfield defender used this window to easily dispossess her of the ball, leaving her sprawling. After 23 minutes, Emily fired in a cross from the wing. Olivia ran on to the ball and tried to get it on goal. However, the Italian-American wound up kicking the air as she missed the ball, letting it scuff the side of her boot and speed out of bounds for a Springfield throw. The game reached a 0-0 stalemate at halftime, with Lisa producing a series of saves to keep the scores level.**

**Early in the second half, after 55 minutes, Olivia fired a shot into the penalty area. The ball struck the hand of a Springfield defender and ricocheted away from the six yard box. The referee blew his whistle and signalled for a PK. Despite protestations from the Springfield players, the referee ruled that the defenders arm was moving towards the ball at the time of contact, constituting handball. **

"**You got this?" Stella asked Olivia, in a nervous tone.**

"**Trust me, I've got this!" Olivia replied, trying to make herself feel confident. All it would take was one goal to shake herself out of this funk – she had seen it happen too many times in professional sports to count. The ball was placed on the spot as Olivia said a silent prayer. The whistle blew as she moved towards the ball and struck it. She noticed the netting flutter and started to wheel away in celebration, as she had done many times before. However, she paused when she saw the players running the other way and Springfield's players clapping and encouraging each other. She then noticed that the ball was not in the net, but rather resting behind it.**

**She had **_**missed**_**!**

**Anger began to swirl inside Olivia as she ran back. Soon, she found herself matched up against a Springfield player on defence. As her opponent went to pass the ball, Olivia put in a vigorous challenge to try and reclaim the ball. However, her timing was off, as the ball was already passed as her boots collected the opponent's leg, bringing her down. The shrill noise of the referee's whistle indicated that Olivia was in trouble.**

"**Reckless tackle! Yellow card!" The referee instructed, as he displayed the small, yellow card to Olivia. He then took out a small, black notebook and wrote down Olivia's name and number – 8. "Free kick to Springfield!"**

**With a murmured apology, Olivia helped her fallen foe up. The Springfield player nodded as the two patted each other as if to say the incident was forgotten. As it turned out, that would be Olivia's last play of the match, as she saw a substitution board with the number 8 lit red, meaning her time was up for this game. She went over, hugged her replacement Georgina Hyland and walked – or, more accurately, stormed – over to the bench. Her frustration and agitation with herself over her bad game was clear to see as she briefly shook the coaches hand before grabbing a Gatorade bottle with her number on it and dejectedly sat down on the bench, a rain cloud in human form. **

**With 7 minutes to go, Emily scored a cracker of a goal off the half-volley to put Midtown in the lead. The goal bought the bench to its' feet, including Olivia, although her reaction was **

**understandingly far more reserved. The defence and Lisa held off Springfield's desperate attack, and held on to win 1-0. Their Pine Tree Cup campaign had got off to a winning start, however Olivia was painfully aware that it came in spite of her, and not because. As the team celebrated and discussed the game amongst themselves, the Italian-American was conspicuous by her subdued nature. As the team was packing up their gear, her coach called her aside for a private chat.**

"**Is everything okay, De Rossi?" The coach asked. "You weren't yourself out there today."**

**Olivia sighed. The jig was up. "Sorry, Coach." She admitted. "My mind's been a bit fogged lately."**

"**Anything you want to talk about?" The coach wondered.**

"**No, thank you." Olivia replied. The coach nodded his acknowledgement, before turning on his coach mode. **

"**Well, **_**unfog **_**it, and quickly, or you're benched." He declared. "This team can't afford for you to be a non-factor like you were today."**

"**I can promise you, this will never happen again." Olivia promised, solemnly. This was because she intended to use her day off tomorrow to unfog her mind by participating in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and unburden her sins to a priest. And so it came to pass that Olivia found herself at a small church in Portland, dressed smartly but modestly, wearing a blue New York Giants Eli Manning jersey with black sports pants. She held her rosary in a small bag in her pocket, so she could count the prayers on the beads as penance. She knelt in the pew and bowed her head in silent prayer as penitents came and went from the small confessional located beside the altar. Eventually, when it became vacant, Olivia got up and walked over to the booth. She pulled back the curtain, crossed herself and knelt on the kneeler provided, facing the screen that separated her from the priest. She folded her hands and began to speak in a humbled tone.**

"**Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been three months since my last confession. I…I've been a bully, Father." Olivia began, her voice trembling.**

"**A bully? How so?" The priest inquired from behind the screen.**

"**I laughed at a video of a girl getting bullied. I didn't actually bully her, but I may as well have." She replied.**

"**How did you come across this video?" Was the response.**

"**The actual bully showed it to me." Olivia answered. "I have since learned that this girl suffered from familial abuse and isolation. I mistook her lack of knowledge about certain biological functions for a mental defect, and then insulted her with a slur, and so I committed the sin of bigotry in addition to the bullying."**

"**Which slur did you use?" The priest whispered, gently and non-judgementally.**

"**The one which begins with R." The Italian-American replied, remorse and shame in her voice.**

"**And are you sorry for your sins?" The priest wondered.**

"**Yes. I repent of my sins, and denounce them in their entirety." Olivia declared, certainty and sincerity in her voice.**

"**That was a very sincere and heartfelt confession you just gave." The priest mused. "Say ten Hail Mary's as your penance, and if you see this girl again, tell her what you told me and seek her forgiveness."**

"**I will, Father." Olivia replied, genuinely.**

"**And include the bullies themselves in your prayers – that they may see the error of their ways and repent." The priest, instructed.**

"**Yes, Father." Olivia murmured, although the only thing she felt like praying for in regards to those two whores was that they suffered a most painful demise. She tried to shake those thoughts from her head.**

"**If you wish to offer an Act Of Contrition to God, you can do that now." The priest reminded. Olivia bowed her head and began to pray aloud.**

"**My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart, for choosing to do wrong and failing to do good. I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In his name, my God, have mercy. Amen."**

"**Amen." The priest concurred, from behind the screen. Then, raising his left hand, he began the formal process of absolution.**

"**God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins." He intoned. "Through the ministry of the Church, may God bring you comfort and peace, and I absolve you of all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." He finished, as he traced a cross in the air with his hand. Olivia did likewise from the other side of the screen.**

"**Amen." The Italian-American whispered in relief.**

"**Go in peace. God bless you, my child." The priest concluded.**

"**Thank you, Father." Olivia responded, gratitude lacing her voice. She then crossed herself and slipped silently out of the confessional and walked discreetly over to a pew. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her rosary. Placing the beads in her hands, Olivia bowed her head and began to pray, in a voice bordering on a whisper:**

"_**Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee**_

_**Blessed art thou amongst women, and blest is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.**_

_**Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners**_

_**Now, and at the hour of our death.**_

_**Amen."**_

**The Italian-American repeated this process nine more times, bringing up the total of ten times. As she completed her penance, Olivia felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders. Her sins had been forgiven, and would no longer be held against her. All of a sudden, she found herself looking forward to the remainder of the tournament and her ongoing participation. In fact, she turned around her on-field performance to the point where she won the Pine Tree Cup's Golden Boot award, as Midtown swept to the title. A tournament that had started in tears and guilt ended in a smile of triumph as she accepted the Golden Boot trophy, then raised the Pine Tree Cup alongside Stella. She would never forget hugging her parents as she got off the bus when the team returned and showing off the trophies that Midtown had collected and the pride they took in her accomplishments.**

**Another source for pride for Antonio and Francesca had been Olivia's renewal of her faith. Where once she was bored in church, she was now laser-focused. She actually held dialogue with her parents about the sensitive issues that concerned her, and tried to understand the church's position on them without necessarily backing down from her more progressive world view. In spite of her inner turmoil over the Catholic stance on those topics, she agreed to abide by them. She had even joined a youth group, at the urging of her friend Brianna, and had become more active in the young adult ministry at St. Mary Of The Angels Church, as well as forming more of a relationship with Father Wilkes. Antonio and Francesca were so relieved and overjoyed to have their daughter living her faith again that they never bothered to ask her why the change of heart. They had worried that she was slipping away from the church, based on her open criticism of certain teachings and her lackadaisical attitude to attending church. Father and daughter had actually butted heads on these topics several times before Olivia left for the Pine Tree Cup, causing a frosty relationship between the two. However, through their respective quests for understanding of Catholicism (in the case of Olivia) and sports (in the case of Antonio) had helped them not only reconcile, but grow closer than ever.**

**However, one factor still nagged away at Olivia – namely, the absolving priest's instruction that she seek forgiveness from the girl whose torment she had found amusing. Whilst she had promised she would do so, in reality she thought such an opportunity was highly unlikely. A girl who had experienced such trauma would almost certainly have to undergo significant amounts of therapy and counselling to get her mind unscrambled from the years of abuse and bullying she had endured. Such a process would almost certainly **_**not **_**take place in New York City – after all, if this poor girl was terrified of a simple tampon, she would probably have a heart attack due to the overwhelming stimuli New York City would present to such a person.**

**However, one February morning, Father Sean introduced her and Brianna to a new girl in the congregation, Carrie. She was so enthusiastic to finally have someone new her age to talk to, she embraced her as though she were long lost family. However, a thought crept into her mind: that name seemed familiar. As they talked among themselves, Olivia wondered what her story was. Carrie revealed that she had moved to New York from Maine for college, after a holiday in Rhode Island. "I've been dying to get here and get involved in this church!" She had smiled.**

**Unbidden, a haunting piece of audio flashed through Olivia's mind. **_**Help me! I'm dying!**_** The Italian-American shook her head to clear it from her thoughts. When Carrie asked if she was okay, she spouted some bullshit about an assignment, trying to mask her real concern – namely, that she finally found a name to put to that tormented face. She bid farewell in a jovial mood, but that nagging feeling still lingered. She had been in denial that she would ever have to front up and apologise to the poor girl. And Carrie's revelations to the members of Eternal Pentecost had pushed her out of that denial and into cold, hard reality.**

"Olivia?" The concerned voice of Antonio interrupted. Olivia jerked out of her daze to notice that the car had just parked outside their house - a non-descript brick house on Orchard Street. Her eyes brimming with unshed tears, Olivia scrambled to take in her surroundings. Fan FM was still blaring – this time going on about how Odell Beckham Jr. had disrespected the Giants again, a seemingly regular occurrence since he had been traded from the Giants to the Cleveland Browns.

"_You know what, Odell? If you wanna go, go! But don't stand there and keep taking pot shots at us when you're trying to start a new chapter in your career and put this one behind you! You know what this says to me, Mike? It says he's still obsessed with the Giants!" _The caller insisted.

"_But Odell didn't leave in free agency – he was traded."_ Mike the host insisted. "_You can't blame him for being put out by the situation, when Gettleman explicitly said he wasn't going to be traded."_

"_Oh please! You don't think a player of Odell's stature doesn't get final say on where he goes? Why else would he go on ESPN with Lil Wayne and bitch about how unhappy he was with the organisation? In fact, I'm going to make a bet with you – I'll bet you a round at Joey's that the Browns won't even make the playoffs this year! Mark my words!" _The caller confidently proclaimed.

"_Okay. Jimmy in Fordham – good to hear from the Bronx Oracle." _Mike signed off.

"I said: Are you okay, Olivia?" Antonio repeated, noticing the distressed look on his daughter's face.

"You know how I said I might talk about what happened when we got home?" Olivia whispered. "I've decided I will."

"Okay, well, let's get inside and settled then." Antonio declared, as father and daughter exited the SUV and walked to the door of their house. Turning the key in the door, Antonio pushed the door open as he and Olivia entered the dwelling. One could discern the De Rossi family's background by the decoration of their house. A crucifix greeted any visitors as they stepped into the house. A large picture of St. Catherine Of Siena, patron saint of Italy, stood on a wall behind a couch. At the foot of the staircase that led to the sleeping quarters were twin statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, acting as guardians of the family. On the kitchen table, small flags of both their old homeland, Italy and their new homeland, the United States, stood proudly. These decorations summed up the family in a nutshell – they were Italian-American Catholics, and proud of it.

On the aforementioned couch sat the De Rossi matriarch, Francesca. She had a small glass of orange juice in her hand. She was about three or four years younger than Antonio, and wore a green dress. She had the same olive complexion that Olivia had, and wore her brown hair in a smart bun. However, Francesca was forced to discard her juice as she saw Olivia barrel into her arms and started to bawl.

"Olivia? What's wrong, darling?" Francesca asked, in a worried tone.

"Thank…thank you for being my mum…" Olivia wailed, as her long threatened tears cascaded down her cheeks. For all of Francesca and Antonio's strict parenting and the disagreements that they had encountered, she was intensely grateful that they were nothing like Carrie's tyrant of a mother.

"Okay, and I love you, darling_. _But what is the meaning of this?" Francesca wondered.

"I get the distinct impression that our Olivia is deeply troubled by something she heard at her meeting tonight." Antonio announced, as he settled into an armchair.

_Ain't that the fucking truth._ Olivia thought bitterly, as she let herself be comforted by her mother. Eventually, she released herself from the hug – it was time to face the music.

"Mama, papa, forgive me. I've…I've done a terrible thing." She whimpered.

"Terrible thing?" Antonio wondered. "Do we have to get a lawyer?"

"Illegal? No. Immoral? Yes." Olivia responded, her head bowed and her hands folded.

"Whatever it is, you can tell us, Olivia." Francesca encouraged. "We will always love you, no matter what mistakes you make."

Olivia took a deep breath. "Do you remember that soccer tournament I went to in Maine in junior year?"

"Yes, I remember how seriously you started to fully embrace our faith after you got back. I know that you don't exactly see eye to eye with the Church on certain topics, so your attempts to understand and practise your faith more deeply made your father and I very happy." Francesca replied.

"Well, that was because I saw what I was capable of without God's love to guide me." Olivia answered, honestly. "And I didn't like the person I was becoming, at all."

"Is this related to that terrible thing you were talking about?" Antonio wondered.

"Yes." Olivia whispered. With a deep breath, she began to recount the story of the Pine Tree Cup, and how she had prepared in Chamberlain and billeted with Chris. Olivia had cried bitterly as she recounted how she had laughed at the video of Carrie's bullying and how she later learned of its' true nature. Finally, she told how her guilt and shame over her actions had negatively affected her on-field performance, how she had received absolution and how she had heard the full story told in the group meeting.

. Her parents were, quite understandably, disappointed in her behaviour. Antonio took particular exception to her use of the term "retard", seeing as how he had to treat many children and adults with learning disabilities as part of his job as a dentist and saw how distressed and scared some of them were by the prospect of the dentists office – indeed, it was no laughing matter. He was very vociferous as he made this point to her.

"We do not use that word in this house." He had shouted. "What were you thinking? Have you lost your mind?! That is completely unacceptable!"

"I'm sorry, papa! I was tricked!" Olivia sobbed in response.

"Tricked? How could you be tricked into thinking that something like that was funny?" Francesca questioned.

"She didn't know what a tampon was! I honestly thought no sane person would be frightened of a piece of paper!" Olivia protested. Her voice grew downcast as she bowed her head. "It doesn't matter. I was wrong. Carrie's been through so much already, and now she knows I laughed at her. I failed her then, and I failed her tonight."

"Carrie…you mean Carrie from church? Tony Stark's daughter?" Antonio asked. When Olivia nodded, his voice grew serious. "So, there was this girl, who believes as you do, prays as you do, receives the Eucharist as you do, confesses her sins as you do, truly your sister in Christ, and you laughed at her suffering. You saw Jesus in her suffering, and yet you laughed at Him – you may as well have laughed at the Cross!"

"Well, I wasn't exactly interested in looking for Jesus then." Olivia shot back. "Whose fault is that?"

"Oh come on, Olivia!"Antonio protested. "I thought we had moved past this!"

"Funny you should mention that, because I thought you had moved past making such a song and dance about what I do!" Olivia retorted. However, she was cut off by Francesca stepping in.

"That's enough, both of you!" Francesca declared, in a voice that brooked no dissent whatsoever. "Olivia, I know it's not always been easy for you growing up in the faith, but you can't blame your father for your own personal failings! Your father didn't make you laugh at Carrie – you chose that for yourself! And Antonio, I love how you try to instil values in our children and try to teach them the difference between right and wrong, but Olivia clearly knows she's done wrong and is sorry for it! Nobody's perfect – not even you! So don't act like our daughter is some evil villain! She made a mistake, and she will learn from it! Olivia is right – I thought we had moved past this!" These words were enough to chastise both Olivia and Antonio, who both took a deep breath and counted to ten.

The matriarch turned to Olivia. "Go to your room, darling. We'll talk more about this in the morning, when we've all calmed down." Francesca then wrapped her daughter in a hug.

"I really am sorry, mama, papa." The teenager whispered into her mother's chest.

"I know you are." Antonio whispered, as he joined in the embrace. "I'm sorry I lost my temper. And your mother is right – while we may not always love your choices, we will always love you."

"I know it hasn't been easy at times living in this family, but we are stronger as a team than when we are apart. And that's how we'll handle this – as a family. We're proud of you for showing your maturity and apologising to both God and Carrie for what you did, and we'll help you to fix your relationship with her however we can. Now, go to bed and get some sleep. Don't forget to say your prayers." Francesca encouraged, as she kissed Olivia's head tenderly.

"Thanks, mama." Olivia smiled as she embraced her parents, then turned and ascended the staircase to her bedroom, where she started to get dressed. As she exited her bedroom in her black-and-white pajamas, Olivia was heading to brush her teeth. However, she heard a timid, little voice pipe up.

"Olivia?"

Olivia turned and let out a gasp of shock. Standing there, in the doorway to a nearby room, was Maria, her younger sister. The little girl poked her head out nervously from behind her bedroom door. Maria was only seven, and she looked up to the older girl as if she was a hero – more powerful than Elsa and Mulan combined. Oh, if only Maria knew what she had done…

"Maria!" Olivia exclaimed, clearly surprised by her presence. "What are you doing up? Go back to sleep!"

"I heard Papa yelling at you." Maria whispered. "Are you and Papa fighting again?"

Olivia felt her heart break as she heard her sister's words. The friction between Antonio and herself was noticeable to the rest of the family. The pair would sometimes get into a yelling match about their different opinions on various topics. Francesca had tried to sooth the younger girl's worries by trotting out the line that "sometimes, people who love each other fight". However, that failed to alleviate Maria's concerns, especially when she encountered one particularly heated argument between Antonio and Olivia, which caused her to cry. This had been a wake-up call to the both of them, and they decided that they would try to iron things out between them for the sake of the family. For so long, Olivia's happy public demeanour had long been a front, designed to obscure the tensions at home. However, as she and Antonio reconciled, she had become genuinely bubbly and joyful, and a source to light and happiness to all who knew her.

"Oh, Maria! Oh, come here!" Olivia replied, as she hugged her younger sister. "You know Papa and I promised we would never fight like that again, don't you?"

"But why was Papa yelling?" Maria wondered, confused by what she had heard.

Olivia sighed. She knew she had to tell Maria the truth, but she was wondering how to sanitise certain aspects of the story for her childlike ears. Eventually, a plan formed in her mind.

"Why don't we go lie down on your bed?" Olivia invited, with a weak smile.

"Okay!" Maria grinned, as she took Olivia by the hand and led her into the room. Her room was a virtual Disney wonderland, with the frozen Arendelle to the north, where Elsa, Anna and Olaf welcomed her to a land of wondrous winter. Pride Rock, the seat of Simba and Mufasa before him to the south, being the first thing Maria would see when she woke up in the morning. To the east was the golden habitat of the Beast seeking his beauty, with talking teacups and candles all inviting Maria to be their guest. And to the west was Mulan riding her trusted horse into battle, a sure sign that girls truly could do anything. Maria took a small running jump and dived onto her fluffy bed covering. Olivia followed more gently, sitting on the bed and rolling onto her back to lie beside her sister. Maria's complexion was slightly more Caucasian than Olivia's, and she had chestnut brown hair instead of Olivia's jet black hair.

"This is going to be hard to talk about, Maria." Olivia began, hesitantly. "I…I did something bad."

"Bad?" Maria asked. "But you never do bad things!"

"Yes, Maria. I did something bad. Something terrible that I had to say sorry to God for." Olivia answered, sadly.

"But what did you do?" Maria insisted, in that way only children can.

"I was mean to this girl in a video." Olivia responded, vaguely.

"But _how _were you mean?" Maria pressed.

Olivia took a deep breath. Here was the most awkward and sensitive part of this discussion. Her explanation was the most long winded part of the story, but it was the most child-friendly she could muster.

"Do you remember when we had that _Frozen _themed birthday party, and Papa and I pretended you were Elsa and threw paper over you to make it look like it was snowing?" Olivia began.

"Yeah! That was fun!" Maria smiled, enjoying the happy memory.

"Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" Olivia returned a grin. "Well, you know that wasn't actually snow, right?"

"Of course not! You can't screw up snow!" Maria exclaimed, as though she were reciting e = mc2.

"Well, this girl didn't think paper was just paper. She was a big girl – about my age." Olivia pressed on. "She was scared of it – like it could hurt her. I thought she was just being silly, and so I laughed at her and called her a name."

"What did you call her?" Maria persisted, refusing to let up.

"It's not a very nice word." Olivia responded, turning her head away. "Please don't make me say it, Maria."

"Okay." Maria nodded. The seven year old then developed the cutest frown. "That wasn't very nice, Olivia. You shouldn't call people names. Father Sean says so."

_Ooooffff. _Olivia felt Maria's words like a punch to the gut. She thought that she had heard harsh takes before, whether from Skip Bayless or Stephen A Smith or Max Kellerman or Michael Kay or any of the umpteen talking heads across ESPN, Fox, CBS and so forth. Yet, not even Joey from Washington Heights had ever delivered a salvo that got straight to the point like Maria just did – and that too at seven years old. A lone tear trickled out of Olivia's eye and was angrily brushed away.

"You're right, Maria. I wasn't very nice to her. And I also found out that these other girls were laughing at her as well and making her cry. Her bully lied to me and said she was scared of paper. Her mother also wasn't very nice, keeping her locked away like she was Cinderella's evil stepmother. She actually goes to church with us. When I first saw that video, I thought it was the funniest thing ever. Now? Now I feel really sad. I feel sad that people could be so cruel. I feel sad that _I _could be so cruel. Papa was right to yell at me." Olivia finished, sniffling ever so slightly.

She then turned to Maria, with glassy eyes. "Maria, what is our name?"

"The De Rossi family." Maria responded, without hesitation.

"And what does Papa always say?" Olivia pressed.

"That we keep our promises." Maria replied.

"That's right." Olivia smiled, encouraging. "Well, Maria, you and I are going to make a special big girl promise right now. Wrap your pinky around mine."

"Cool! A big girl promise!" Maria cheered, as she wrapped her pinky finger around her sister's finger.

"Now, we're going to be promising different things." Olivia continued. "I'm going to promise to make it up to that girl I laughed at. But Maria, I want you to promise me that whenever you see someone that looks or talks or acts differently: don't laugh at them. Try and get to know them and be their friend. Be better than me. Promise me, Maria."

"I promise." Maria replied, seriously. The two sisters then began to count.

"One…two…three!" They chorused together.

"There!" Olivia spoke, much happier now than she was even two minutes ago. "We just made a pinky promise together! Thanks for making this promise…and for making me feel better."

"Thanks for telling me that you and Papa aren't angry at each other like you were before." Maria answered.

"Papa is not angry at _me, _Maria. He's angry at what I did. Even you were, a little bit." Olivia answered. "Now, go to sleep, okay?"

"Okay! Night night, Olivia!" Maria giggled, as she jumped under her bed covers.

"Night night, Maria!" Olivia smiled, as she put her hand to her mouth and blew her little sister a good night kiss. She went and brushed her teeth, then got into bed. She took one last look around her room and its' contents. In a similar manner to Maria's bedroom, her walls were decorated with images of her number-one passion – sports. Behind her bed was her "Juve" wall. Taking pride of place was a large poster of Christiano Ronaldo, Juventus superstar and her favourite soccer player. There was also a photo of the entire Juventus squad celebrating with the Serie A trophy. Next to it was a small cartoon image of Calvin, the rascally protagonist of the "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip. Wearing a Juventus jersey, his trademark smirk was plastered his face as he urinated on the logo of Inter Milan, one of the Turin-based club's biggest rivals. On the left was a headline celebrating the USWNT's World Cup success, outlining a goal Olivia aspired to.

To her left was her Yankees wall. The predominant feature was a photo of Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. Surrounding it were photos of other great Yankees of her lifetime such as Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and pitchers Mariano Rivera and Masahiro Tanaka. At the end of the wall was a framed _New York Post _headline celebrating the Yankees last World Series victory in 2009. The Yankees would dominate her summer, and Olivia was hoping this year would be the year, alongside every other member of Yankee Nation.

The next wall was her Giants wall. Front and centre was a photo of Odell Beckham Jr taking his famous one-handed catch against the Dallas Cowboys in 2014. Odell had been her favourite Giants player for a while, and she was heartbroken when he was traded. Next to it was the photo of another famous New York Giants catch – David Tyree's grab off his own helmet during the final drive of Super Bowl 42. The so-called "helmet catch" would keep alive what turned out to be the game-winning drive that saw the Giants knock off the juggernaut that was the New England Patriots. At the age of five, approaching six, Olivia had seen the catch at her parent's Super Bowl party – the one night she was allowed to stay up late. Having also attended the victory parade, that moment was what caused an immigrant girl from Italy to fall in love with American sports.

Her front wall was her NBA wall. Unfortunately, the Knicks seemed to be in a state of perpetual dysfunction, so there were only two New York players on the wall – Jeremy Lin and Carmelo Anthony, a reminder of somewhat happier days of "Linsanity" and the Knicks last playoff appearance. She was planning to put up a Kristaps Porzingis poster, but her desire to do so coincided with his season-ending ACL injury. Feeling like she jinxed him, Olivia had opted not to do so. There were many other NBA superstars on the wall. Taking pride of place were her own personal "Big 3" from her lifetime –LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokoumpo. Being but a speck in the universe when the undisputed greatest Michael Jordan was striding the parquet, Lebron was the most dominant player Olivia had seen live during her lifetime. Despite giving birth to the "super team" phenomena, she respected his competitive spirit and business acumen. Steph Curry was perhaps the most entertaining player she had seen, proving that no shot – not even from the far end of the floor – was impossible for him. Giannis truly lived up to his nickname of the "Greek Freak", serving as a standard-bearer for Olivia as an aspiring immigrant athlete in America.

Having completed her nightly prayers, Olivia turned her head and surveyed the room one last time. Crossing herself, she turned out the light and settled into sleep, in anticipation of the challenges of the next day.

*** TWFAF ***

The next morning, Olivia got up, brushed and flossed her teeth throughly and settled into a breakfast of toast and cereal. Antonio and Francesca wore matching red dressing gowns whilst Maria wore a pink night dress. Conversation turned to how long Antonio could be expected at work, and what Maria and Olivia would like to do with the remainder of their holidays. Eventually, Antonio spoke up.

"Maria, could you leave us and Olivia alone, please? We would like to discuss something in private with her." Antonio requested.

"Is this about Olivia using that mean word?" Maria replied, innocently.

"How did you know about that, honey?" Francesca interrupted.

"She told me." Maria shot back, her childhood precociousness shining through.

"I see." Antonio mused.

"Don't worry. She feels really sad about it. In fact, she made me give her a big girl promise to treat people that aren't like me like they're my friends." The seven year old flashed a smile to Olivia, causing the teenager to return the gesture.

"That's really mature of you, Olivia." Francesca encouraged. "Well done!"

"Thanks, Mum." Olivia replied, sheepishly.

"However, Maria, your mother and I would much prefer you give us some privacy." Antonio instructed. Nodding, Maria jumped down and ran upstairs to her bedroom. Once out of earshot, Antonio turned towards Olivia and began to speak.

"Your mother and I have thought very hard about how to discipline you, Olivia." Antonio began. "Taking into account the length of time that's passed and your clear and obvious remorse, it is our opinion that you do not need to go to confession over keeping this from us. However, you will be grounded for the remainder of this week and all of next week – with the exception of Saturday. I'll return to that momentarily. In addition, you are going to attend a sensitivity training course, so you can understand how hurtful words like that can be. Any questions?"

Olivia shook her head, knowing that she could not argue the point about needing to be more sensitive and empathetic.

"Now. I believe that this situation is also a valuable learning opportunity." Antonio continued. He got up and departed for a brief time. He returned holding a month-old copy of the _New York Daily News. _He plopped it down on the table and showed Olivia the back page headline, where the sports headlines were located. This particular issue led with the headline MICKEY MOUTH CLUB, which chronicled a shambolic loss by the New York Mets to the Chicago Cubs, which included Mets coach Mickey Callaway cursing out a reporter (hence the typically punerific headline).

"What is this?" Antonio inquired.

"A shining example of Mets incompetence?" Olivia quipped. This caused her parents to smile – they seemed to be getting some of the daughter they knew back after the sadness of yesterday.

"Perhaps I should rephrase." Antonio demurred. "What is this _doing_?"

"Telling a story." Olivia declared in response.

"Correct." Antonio replied. "Or, more specifically, a narrative. Narratives are everywhere in our society. This headline – a narrative. _First Take _– narratives. Fan FM – narratives. And that bully had her own narrative as well. She was pushing it to anybody who would listen, and you bought into it. She was trying to spin it that Carrie was a stupid girl terrified of a mere tampon, while this headline spins it that Mr. Callaway was the sole reason for the Mets' demise. People will buy into both, but it is important to look deeper. Do you still intend to try and go professional, Olivia?"

"Yes, or try and work in journalism if I don't." Olivia replied.

"Well, if you do manage to go professional, then you will hear various narratives tossed out about you. You could be the saviour one week, and the devil the next. You will need to be prepared for that level of scrutiny, and respond with grace and dignity. The first time I met Carrie, she seemed like a mature, well put-together young lady. Now she seems even more so, in light of what she has been throughShe would, I think, be an excellent role model for you." Antonio stated.

"Yes, Papa. She's stronger than I could ever possibly be." Olivia replied, genuinely. "I just hope I can make it up to her."

"And you will have the opportunity to do so, this Saturday." Antonio instructed.

"What do you mean?" Olivia asked, confused. At this, Francesca got up and walked over to the top shelf above the sink and grabbed a small red box. She passed over the box to Olivia. Having popped it open, the teenager gasped in shock at what she saw. Nestled in the box were two tickets to the Saturday night game between the Yankees and the Red Sox.

"You…you got me Yankees tickets?!" Olivia exclaimed.

"Well, not just you." Antonio explained. "I was going to surprise you with these as a gift before you start senior year. I was reluctant to give these to you, lest it be seen as rewarding your bad behaviour. But your mother made me see that these may have a more important purpose. Take Carrie out. This is primarily for her. Let her get to know you better. And seeing as this is just the second part of a double-header, invite her over to the house, so that we may show her the hospitality of this family and you can watch the afternoon game together on TV. Let her know what she's in for."

"Thank you, Papa! I won't let you down." Olivia replied as she hugged her father.

"Use that day wisely – it's the only day for the next fortnight you will be free." Antonio encouraged.

PRESENT TIME

"Well, here goes nothing." Olivia whispered as she and Antonio stepped out of the house and got into the Jeep. Antonio then set the map to Avengers Tower on the SUV's GPS, and they began the drive to the tower.

*** TWFAF ***

**Next chapter: Carrie and Peter meet the De Rossi family, whilst Olivia faces the music from the Avengers. Later, Carrie attends her first sporting event.**


End file.
